


Unexpected Surprises

by khudgens91



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Established Relationship, F/M, Implied Sexual Content, Marriage Proposal, Pregnancy, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-08-15
Updated: 2013-10-11
Packaged: 2017-12-23 14:32:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 24,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/927626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/khudgens91/pseuds/khudgens91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Helen and Nikola get a little bit more than they bargained for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This was my very first fanfic ever. Its still a work in progress, but has been put on the back burner for the moment while I focus on other things.

"Hey Doc, the big guy asked me to bring this blood work up to you." Henry said as he walked into her office.

"Thank you, Henry." Helen replied, trying to keep her face from betraying the nervousness she felt. Taking the folder she couldn't help but notice her hand shaking ever so slight. "Please shut the door on your way out," she told him with a tight smile.

"Um…are you gonna be much longer cause Erika's down in the infirmary waiting for her check-up."

"Of course. I'll be along shortly."

"Thanks Doc." Henry said with a grin before turning to leave, making sure to shut the door behind him.

Staring at the folder in her hands Helen took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. She'd been waiting for these results all day and had been so distracted that she'd barely made any head way on the rather large stack of paperwork cluttering her desk. In truth she'd fallen further and further behind on her paperwork these last few months, only getting done the most essential of reports or bills and leaving the rest for a later day. Except that day never seemed to come.

Between system failures and fluctuations, making sure all the abnormals settled into their new homes, managing the crisis's that seemed to pop up on an almost daily bases, coordinating with the other heads of houses, and the ever growing mound of paperwork accumulating on her desk, there was always something demanding her attention.

It had barely even been 6 months since they'd made the move to the new sanctuary and the amount of work it had involved was exhausting. Not that she'd expected much less. Kate had stayed to help out as long as she could, only just leaving a few weeks ago. Will and Biggie had been transporting and making sure all the abnormals were settling into their new homes. And Henry and Nikola had been working on making sure all the new systems were up and running properly and working out any kinks that had arisen in the process. Unfortunately, there had been quite a few mishaps.

Last month Will had miscalculated the dosage on the sedatives they'd given the Steno to transfer him from the holding bay to his permanent enclosure, which resulted in him waking up mid-transport and getting loose on the grounds. Thankfully Kate hadn't left to return to hollow earth yet and with her help they were able to round him up in a relatively short amount of time.

And just yesterday she'd been stuck in a transport pod for almost 3 hours because all the none essential systems had been shut down when the climate control for the entire facility had short circuited and the power from the back-up generators had to be divert to higher priority areas such as the holding tanks, abnormal enclosures, and the shields that protected the complex from outside detection. Thankfully (though Henry hadn't thought so) Nikola had been with her when the pod's went offline and they'd found several creative ways to pass the time. Remembering all the absolutely sinful things they'd accomplished in such a small space sent a shiver through her body. Chastising herself, Helen pulled her thoughts back to reality. She and Nikola had been going at it like animals every chance they got ever since moving down here and that was exactly what had gotten her into this situation in the first place.

Taking one last shaky breath and trying vainly to calm her racing heart, Helen flipped open the folder and hurriedly scanned the results. And there it was; elevated hCG levels. The blood never lied. She was pregnant. Her heart didn't seem to know quite what to do, apparently unable to decide between fluttering with excitement or sinking with dread, managing instead to somehow do both simultaneously.

How had this happened? Of course she knew how it happened, but she honestly hadn't even considered this being an issue. She was 275 years old for god's sack! But tell that to the embryo apparently now growing inside her. They'd never been quite sure how the transformation had effected Nikola's reproductive abilities. The fact that he hadn't spawned any children over the last century had led them to believe he must be incapable. But apparently they'd been wrong. Very wrong.

Oh God. What was she going to tell Nikola? She couldn't not tell him the way she had with John. But how would he react? He'd never been overly fond of children. He wasn't overly fond of most adults. Helen tried to picture him as a father, changing nappies and feeding bottles, but she just couldn't do it. Nikola Tesla, the man who was constantly pristine in his appearance and who had a serious aversion to germs, with a baby? It just didn't mesh. What if she told him and he just simply left, like he had done so many times in the past when things got uncomfortable between them? Her heart ached just at the thought.

The past 6 months had been some of the best of her life. Her 113 years of seclusion had given her plenty of time to re-evaluate everything and it was during this time that she'd realized just how much Nikola meant to her. He was her oldest friend and had always held a special place in her heart, but in all the years she'd had to spend separated from him she'd begun to recognize other emotions in regards to her quirky best friend. There had always been a certain level of attraction and chemistry between them. The handful of times they'd crossed that invisible line over the years she'd never allowed herself to look further than the physical pleasure such encounters had brought her. She knew how he felt, she'd known for years, but she'd been very careful to never let things go further than the occasional tryst. She had been too afraid to. Even after she'd returned to this time line she'd been terrified to act on her newly acknowledged feelings for him. But standing in her old lab, not sure if she'd survive the explosion she was about to set off, she'd sworn to herself that if she made it out alive things would be different.

Nikola had been more than willing to take their relationship further than just 'friends with occasional benefits', but the idea had still scared her at first. What if it didn't work out? If they took that step there would be no going back. But it had been the right decision. She knew that now. The transition had been almost seamless and there had been several times Helen wondered why they'd never done this sooner.

They'd kept it under wraps for awhile, trying to allow themselves time to adjust to being a couple, but when her team had walked in on them one afternoon in her office the secret was out. They hadn't been very happy at first, but they were slowly starting to come around to the idea. Kate had been the most supportive. Henry and the big guy had said they just wanted her to be happy. It was Will that had put up the most fight; sulking around the place for weeks, giving Tesla the silent treatment, and being more than a little short with her on several occasions. She'd finally had to put her foot down, telling him that her personal life was really none of his business and she didn't need his approval in her relationship with Nikola though she'd appreciate it if he'd stop acting like such a child. She suspected his behavior had more to do with the fact that he was still a little upset she'd kept her plans a secret from him for so long. But Will was a grown man and he needed to start acting like it. She didn't have time to coddle him. Especially not now that she was…was….was pregnant. Even just thinking the words were difficult. She let out a deep sigh. This was so not what she needed right now.

"Doc? You gonna be down here anytime soon? We've been waiting for like 20 minutes." Henry's voice through the intercom in her phone nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"Yes Henry, I'm on my way now," she replied hastily. She hadn't realized she'd been sitting here that long. Pulling herself out of her daze with some difficulty, Helen rose to leave her office. She honestly hadn't meant to keep them waiting that long. She quickly put the folder in one of her desk drawers, locking it away so that no one could run across it by accident. Straightening out her skirt and buttoning up her jacket, Helen tried to make it look like nothing was out of the ordinary. She silently thanked her British upbringing and years of experience keeping her composure despite what was going on around her. She set off at a brisk pace towards the infirmary, trying hard not to think about the fact that her and Nikola were now in the same boat as the two young HAPS.


	2. Chapter 2

"I'm terribly sorry I made you wait so long. I simply lost track of the time," Helen apologized as she pulled on a pair of rubber gloves.

"That's all right, Doc." Henry reassured her.

"Yes, don't think anything of it." Erika added.

She'd been so caught up in her own test results that she'd completely lost track of time. Even after Henry had called it took her another 10 minutes to reach the infirmary, a walk that normally only took about 3, because she'd still been in such a daze.

She'd been trying to calculate how far along she was. Things had been so hectic that the days all seemed to blur together and she had a little trouble remember just how long it'd been since her last period. When she finally thought she had a general date nailed down, it was a little embarrassing to realize just how long it'd been. Sure she'd been caught up in her work (and Nikola) but that was really no excuse for her to have waited this long to even suspect that she could be pregnant. Looking back all the signs had been there, but she'd brushed each one off without ever putting all the pieces together. The fatigue had been easily explainable considering the hours and work load she'd been pulling lately. Breast tenderness she'd blamed on Nikola and his sometimes not very gentle treatment of them. The increase to her already generous bust she'd chalked up to all the extra calories they'd been bringing into the bedroom lately. She did rather enjoy licking things off Nikola's very toned naked body, but she'd warned him that continuing to bring things such as whip cream, chocolate sauce, and anything else he could think to use in a dirty way (which, given the way Nikola's mind worked, was quite a bit) would only end in her not being able to fit into all that skimpy lingerie he was so fond of. So the very small, yet still noticeable (at least to her) pooch below her waist line and the swollen breasts had seemed easily explainable. But apparently more time at the gym wasn't going to solve her problem.

"Right, well last week we did a full blood work-up to make sure that everything was still on track and it seems everything is developing nicely. Today was your next scheduled dosage so we'll go ahead and do that now and then I thought we'd do another ultra-sound." Helen said, forcing herself to focus on the young couple in front of her.

Moving to the tray beside the exam table, Helen's trembling fingers fumbled awkwardly with the syringe and vial of medication she'd devised to slow the progress of Erika's pregnancy. The poor girl had been pregnant for nearly 18 months now and Helen couldn't help but be grateful that if she was going to do this at least it would only be for the normal 9 months, only a fraction of what Erika was having to endure. Remembering just how uncomfortable she'd been in the later months of her pregnancy with Ashley, Helen couldn't imagine being in Erika's position. But she was being a good sport about it all and Helen hardly ever heard her complaining. Pregnancy, it seemed, suited her.

Finally managing to fill the syringe with the correct dosage, Helen gathered her things and began preparing the vein in the crook of Erika's arm for the injection. Trying to keep her hands as steady as possible, she sunk the needle in and depressed the plunger. Henry and Erika shared a silent look and Helen knew they'd both noticed the slight shake in her hand.

"All done!" She announced cheerfully before either of them could bring it up. "Ready to get on with the ultrasound?"

"Yes, please!" Erika said, obviously the easier of the two to distract. Henry was still eyeing her with a worried expression as she pulled out all the necessary equipment and she was trying her best to ignore him.

"If you'll just lay back and lift up your shirt," Helen instructed when she finally had everything ready. "The gel may be a little cold," she warned before squirting a generous amount across Erika's swollen belly. Flipping on the monitor and positioning the probe, she took a moment to discern the baby's position before re-adjusting the probe to the right area.

"Oh Henry look, she's sucking her thumb!" Erika exclaimed excitedly, finally drawing his attention away from Helen.

"Heart rate is strong," she announced, listening to the swishing sounds the equipment was admitting.

"I think he has your nose," Henry teased, adding extra emphasis on the 'he'. Erika just rolled her eyes.

"Are you sure you don't want to know the sex?"

"Nah, we want it to be a surprise," Henry said

"Besides, we've held out thus far, what's a few more months?" Erika added.

"Suit yourselves," Helen shrugged.

All three went back to staring at the monitor for a moment, transfixed by what they saw. Helen could hear Henry and Erika's banter, but it was suddenly nothing more than background noise. She couldn't take her eyes off the precious little creature occupying the screen. She'd made sure that the new sanctuary had all the latest equipment, including an ultrasound machine capable of 4D imaging. She'd done it for Henry and Erika's sake, but pretty soon she'd have a whole new reason to appreciate her choice. The detail in the picture was astounding. She watched in awe as the baby let out a giant yawn and then promptly went back to contentedly sucking its thumb, bringing the other tiny little hand to rest on its cheek. It had to be the most adorable thing she'd ever seen. Unconsciously she moved her free hand over her lower abdomen, wondering what the little being inside her would look like. Would it have Nikola's ears? Or maybe her nose? Perhaps instead of sucking its thumb like the little thing in front of her now, they'd see it chewing on its bottom lip the way she always did. Tears were beginning to sting her eyes and after a few more seconds she could feel them slipping silently down her cheeks without her permission.

"Umm…Doc, are you alright?" Henry's voice broke through her trance.

She hadn't even realized they'd stopped talking. They were both openly staring at her, concern etched across their faces. Clearing her throat, she hastily wiped away the few stray tears.

"Yes, yes, everything's fine," she lied. She could tell they didn't believe her, but was grateful when they didn't push the issue. She was tempted to tell them, if anyone could understand it would be Erika, but she knew Nikola should be the first to know. So instead she decided to push past the sudden awkwardness in the hopes that they could end this visit and all be on their separate ways. "I'd like to see you again in a month. Henry, just add it to my calendar."

"Sure thing, Doc."

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I have a mountain of paper work waiting for me on my desk."

Before they could even respond, she'd turned on her heel and left the exam room. But instead of going back up to her office, she slipped into the empty room across the hall. The room was dark, the only light coming from under the door. Part of her felt bad for her behavior, she was sure she'd thoroughly confused both Henry and Erika, but she was glad she'd held her tongue. She was still getting used to the idea herself and she hadn't even told Nikola yet. It wouldn't be fair to him for her to go blurting out the news to everyone but him.

She waited until she heard Henry and Erika's voices disappear down the hallway before exiting her hiding place and stepping back inside the exam room they'd just been using. She made sure to lock the door behind her, no wanting any un-welcome visitors. The ultra sound was still right next to the exam table. She quickly made the necessary adjustments to switch it to 3D before climbing up onto the table. It took her a little while to adjust the machine so that she had easy access to everything she needed and could easily see the screen from her new position. Her hands were shaking again as she carefully unbuttoned her blouse and settled her pants around her thighs. The gel was much cooler than she'd expected and she let out a tiny gasp as it hit her skin. Taking a deep breath, she placed the probe tentatively to her stomach.

She knew this early on there wouldn't be much to see, not like with Erika's ultrasound, but she could at least check that the baby was healthy and everything was normal. The tears returned as she listened to the soft swishing of the baby's heartbeat. Her baby. She moved the probe around carefully and paid closer attention to the image on the screen. Her brain kicked into Dr mode almost immediately. Based on the rough calculations she'd done earlier on her way down here and how developed the fetus was she'd estimate herself to be about 10 weeks along. Again, she couldn't help but be a little embarrassed that she was just now putting all the pieces together. For all the people and abnormals she'd cared for over the last two centuries she was terrible at taking care of herself. She'd have to do a much better job now that it wasn't just her health on the line.

In all honesty, she hadn't pictured herself having any more children after Ashley. She didn't think she could handle it. When Ashley had died she'd left a huge hole in Helen's heart and just the thought of opening herself up to the possibility of that kind of hurt again had terrified her. But now that it was happening it somehow felt right. Of course this child would never, could never, replace her Ashley, but it would be its own person.

After a few more minutes she decided it was time to get back upstairs and the mountain of paper work waiting for her. Nikola was probably holed up in a lab somewhere working on one of the many projects she'd assigned him and she didn't want to interrupt him. Plus, she had so much stuff she needed to get done herself. She'd tell him the news tonight. She still wasn't sure what his reaction would be, but something deep down inside her told her that even if this wasn't what he'd planned (what either of them had planned) he wasn't going anywhere.

If she was going to do this, she couldn't think of anyone she'd rather have by her side than Nikola. Sure, she still couldn't quite picture him as the typical father figure, but what about their lives' was typical? A 275 year old mother, a vampire father, and living underground with a bunch of abnormals? Yes, they were far from 'normal'. But her baby would grow up in a safe environment and surrounded by people that loved it. That's all that really mattered in the end. A peace settled down around her and she found herself smiling as she slid off the exam table.


	3. Chapter 3

"Hey Will! Have you seen Magnus today?"

"I'm on my way up there now. She wants to go over some of my old reports. Why? What's up?"

Henry shifted uncomfortably, suddenly not sure if he should tell Will about the Doc's strange behavior this morning.

"Well, Erika and I had an appointment for a check-up this morning-"

"Yeah, how'd that go?"

"It was great! Magnus did this 4D ultrasound. I wish you could've seen it dude! The baby was all sucking its thumb and-" Realizing he'd gotten off track, Henry cut himself off mid-sentence and started again. "What I wanted to tell you though is that the Doc was acting really strange during the whole thing."

"Strange how?" Will's brow furrowed in concerned. Henry wouldn't be bringing it up if he didn't think it was important.

"She just seemed kinda out of it, like she wasn't all there or something. And her hands kept shaking. AND she started crying!"

"Magnus crying? Are you sure?"

"Oh definitely! Erika and I both saw it. She tried to brush it off and then she rushed out before we could say much about it."

"Well she has been under alot of stress sense moving down here…"

"Yeah, I don't know man, this didn't seem like just stress."

"Ok, well thanks for telling me. I'll see what I can find out."

Henry let out a little sigh, relieved that Will was going to try and get to the bottom of it. He was much better at reading people and all that. Henry preferred to stick with his electronics and gadgets.

"Thanks man! I'll let Biggie know too so he can keep an eye on her too."

"Good idea."

****

Helen had organized everything into three piles; the things that absolutely had to get done, the things that were important but could wait, and the things that could be put off the longest. It had been a productive day and she'd made significant progress. She'd worked her way through the 'absolutely had to do' stack and was already half way through the 'important but could wait' pile.

She'd had a minimal amount of distractions along the way. No major disasters had popped up that required her attention and she'd only been interrupted twice. Will had come in around lunch time to go over a few of his old reports with her. He'd made a few attempts at small talk, asking how she was doing and if she was feeling ok, and she suspected that Henry had been talking about her behavior that morning in the infirmary. Her suspicions had been confirmed when the big guy had brought her some afternoon tea, watching her a little more closely than was strictly necessary. But she'd kept her head and not let on that anything was out of the ordinary.

The calm that had descended on her after the rather impromptu ultrasound had stayed with her throughout the day. Even managing to keep a smile on her face as she'd whittled away at the mounds of paperwork. It was later than she'd realized when she finally gave up on getting anymore done. Rubbing the bleariness from her eyes, she extracted herself from out behind the desk and set off towards the kitchen in search of something to eat. She'd forgotten dinner, again, and her stomach was grumbling at her angrily. Walking into the kitchen, she was a little surprised to see Nikola rummaging through the pantry.

"What are you doing down here?"

"Helen! Just the person I was coming to look for," he said, beaming and waggling the can of whip-cream at her.

She rolled her eyes. "I need to eat a real meal, Nikola."

"Where's the fun in that?"

"Fun or no, it's still what I'm doing. You're welcome to join me."

She tried to step around him to gain access to the pantry, but his arm snaked its way around her waist and he pulled her body flush to his.

"Let's have dessert first," he whispered before his lips found that spot below her ear that was always her undoing.

She suddenly couldn't remember why that wasn't a good idea. Her arms came up to wrap around his neck, a hand fisting in his hair to hold him to her. His lips were moving down her neck now, licking, nipping, and sucking gently but persistently. She tilted her head to give him better access, eyes fluttering shut as she enjoyed the sensation.

"N-Nikola?"

"Hmm?" His lips were making their way back up the other side of her neck and she once again moved to accommodate him.

"We…I…food."

He was ghosting his way across her jaw and she needed to taste him, to re-discover every crevice of his mouth and let him do the same. Their lips met lazily, but she needed more. Pulling him closer and crushing herself against him, she kissed him hungrily. His gasp of surprise gave her tongue the perfect opportunity to dart out and tease his. He caught on quickly, deepening the kiss as their tongues danced together. His hands moved to her hips and he walked them further into the pantry until she was pressed firmly against one of the shelves. Only when the need for oxygen became too much did they pull apart. He sucked down a few lung fulls of air before attacking her neck again, teeth sinking into the flesh a little harder than before. She ground her hips against his in approval.

She was practically panting, but as oxygen returned to her brain after their particularly heated kiss she started to remember why they really shouldn't be doing this right now. It was hazy at first, but the more she focused on it the clearer it was becoming. There was something she needed to tell him. Something they needed to talk about. And then it all came crashing back down on her.

Nikola felt her stiffen in his arms and he pulled back to look her in the eye. The little bit of space his action afforded allowed her to push him away from her. She could see the hurt and the confusion in his eyes. As much as she wanted to pull him back to her and kiss those emotions away, she had to stay focused.

"Nikola," she tried to sound firm, but it came out a little more breathily than she'd hoped. "I really need to eat. And we need to talk."

One hour, several bowls of cereal, two glasses of wine (on Nikola's part) later and she still hadn't found a way to broach the subject. The nervousness had returned full force. How did you tell your vampire boyfriend he was going to be a daddy? She hadn't had to deal with this the first time around as John had just been revealed as the Ripper and effectively taken out of the picture. But she could still remember the night she'd told the other three members of the five. Nigel had held her hand, James had assured her that they would come up with a suitable solution, but Nikola hadn't said anything. He'd just stood by the fire place, barely even looking at her. She had thought him disgusted with her, at the situation she'd allowed herself to get into.

They had all stayed with her that night, not wanting her to be alone while her father was away on another one of his extended business trips. Nikola's behavior had eaten away at her, keeping her awake well into the night. The thought of her best friend, her Nikola, not even being able to stand the sight of her had almost hurt worse than John's betrayal. When she'd pushed past the hurt and finally settled instead on white hot anger, she'd stormed down to the guest room he was staying in. She hadn't even bothered to knock before bursting in on him. Of course he'd still been awake, not needing much sleep since his transformation. She'd yelled at him for a solid twenty minutes, saying how dare he turn his back on her when she needed him the most, what right did he have to judge her, and if he couldn't even bring himself to look at her anymore than he shouldn't let the door hit him in the ass on the way out. He'd let her get it all out, not saying a word, just standing there with a patient look on his face. When she'd demanded he say something he'd very simply stated that he knew how to solve her dilemma. And that's how the idea to extract and freeze the embryo that would eventually be Ashley had come about.

Once he'd convinced her he wasn't angry or upset or disgusted with her, she'd collapsed into his arms, clinging to him blindly as she finally allowed all the pent up emotions to escape the barriers she'd erected to keep them at bay. He'd stayed with her the whole night, carrying her back to her bed and crawling inside with her to hold her tightly to his chest. He'd allowed her to shed all her tears, whispering quiet reassurances all the way through til the morning. She'd needed someone that night and she doubted she could've let anyone else in besides Nikola, not even James or Nigel or her father, had he been there. She had needed her Niko. And not only had he been there, but he'd been gracious enough to never speak of that night again.

And now here they were, a century later (at least for him), in a very different, but still somewhat similar situation. She wasn't the scared, sniveling, unprepared young girl she'd been back then. She wasn't even the same woman she'd been when she'd eventually decided to bring the embryo to term over a century ago. No, things were much different this time around. Above everything else, this baby was Nikola's.

"Helen?" Nikola's voice interrupted her train of thoughts.

"Pardon?"

"You seemed rather adamant that it was urgent you ate and then there was something very important we needed to discuss. You've been done with your cereal for the last fifteen minutes and all we've managed to talked about in the last hour has been the new seroslug habitat, the wolfies' lil pup, and how much progress you made on your paperwork today. And whereas I am always thrilled to share in every aspect of your life, I wouldn't dub any of those things important enough to interrupt our previous activities. So either spill whatever it is that's bothering you or kindly allow me to take you back to our bedroom so I can have my way with you."

She smiled at him tentatively. She guessed it was now or never.

"I had Biggie run some blood work for me and I got the results back today," she hedged.

"And what was so important about this blood work?"

"Well…it was mine. I mean, I didn't tell him it was mine, but it was."

"Are you ok? Is something wrong?" He leaned forward anxiously, concern suddenly obvious in his eyes.

"Well I guess that depends on your definitions of wrong and ok?" Why was it so hard to just come out and tell him?

"Hel-en." He drew her name out in exasperation. Clearly not appreciating being strung along.

She sighed and bit down on her bottom lip. She suddenly couldn't look him in the eye and felt an overwhelming urge to squirm under his intense gaze.

"I'm pregnant." She mumbled so softly that it barely reached her own ears.

But his enhanced vampire senses seemed to have picked up on it clear enough because he was suddenly deathly silent. Risking a glance at him, she could see the color had drained from his face and he was staring blindly at her, his mouth forming a perfect little 'o'. Dropping her gaze back down to the few stray pieces of cereal still floating around the bowl in front of her, she decided to give him a minute to get his thoughts together.

"Nikola?" She said without looking up after he still hadn't said anything.

She was feeling very self-conscious. Was he going to start yelling at her? Would he get up and leave without saying anything? What if he decided to run away and never come back? Her head was spinning. She needed him to say something.

"Niko…please say something." She whispered, still un-willing to risk another glance at him.

His fingers came under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. Tears were glistening in his eyes and he was smiling tentatively at her.

"Are you sure?" He breathed, never taking his eyes off her's.

Biting her lip, she nodded, words failing her as she saw the absolute adoration and excitement in his eyes. He let out a shaky laugh and removed his hand from her chin to run it back through his messy hair. And then he was kissing her. His lips moving slowly and passionately against her's. He didn't need to say anything, she could feel all the love, excitement, and wonder he was trying to convey. Relief washed over her and as she deepened the kiss, opening her mouth to him, she could taste the saltiness of tears, not able to distinguish and not really caring who's they were.


	4. Chapter 4

They were sprawled across the bed, Nikola's head resting on her stomach, his hand drawing lazy patterns along her side. They were both still panting slightly. Their kiss after she had revealed her pregnancy had turned into an hour and a half of very passionate love making. It was true that they tended towards the wilder side between the sheets…or on her desk…or in his lab…even the occasional romp in the gardens or in the pool behind the waterfall, but tonight had been different. Tonight had been about him showing her what he couldn't put into words.

"Say it again," he begged.

She laughed weakly at him, running her fingers through his mussed hair.

"Please?"

She took his head in her hands and pulled him up so that he was forced to look her in the eye, hovering over her once again.

"Our baby," she breathed with a soft smile, her brilliant blue eyes sparkling.

He groaned before lowering himself down to kiss her lazily. When he went to rolled away she came with him, wrapping an arm around his waist and settling her head on his chest.

"You're not upset?"

"Of course not, ljubav."

"I was afraid you would leave, that you wouldn't want this," she admitted softly.

"I'm not going anywhere," he reassured her, pulling her tighter against him.

It was true that he'd never wanted children. They had always seemed like annoying little walking germ factories to him. He'd decided when he was much younger, before even going to Oxford, that he would never marry or settle down. It wasn't that he didn't enjoy the company of women, because he did very much, but they had never managed to hold his interest beyond the pleasures of the flesh. That was until he'd met Helen.

He'd been so captivated by her all those years ago back at Oxford. Her big blue eyes and brilliant mind drawing him to her like a moth to a flame. It hadn't taken him long to realize that he would throw all his preconceived notions of marriage and children straight out the window at just the bat of her pretty little eyelashes. In all his long years she had been the only women to hold his heart, the only woman he would consider settling down with. Marriage, children, the whole nine yards, he would give her anything she asked of him, anything her heart desired.

But she had chosen John. He hadn't necessarily begrudged her that, but he'd never thought Druitt worthy of her love. When he'd broken her heart the way he had, it had taken everything Nikola had not to track him down and kill him for it. But he'd stayed by her side instead, because he'd known that if he killed John she would never have forgiven him. But the night she'd told them she was pregnant, with that monster's child, he'd almost given in to his baser desires, almost run out in a blood thirsty rage. The whole evening he'd fought to keep himself under control, to fend off his transformation, to stay by her side. And as he'd held her that night, he couldn't help but wish that it was his baby she was carrying instead.

And now, by some miracle, she was! The very thought made his heart soar. Right now, a tiny little baby, the perfect combination of the two of them, was growing inside her. Sure, it was unexpected, but now that it was happening he couldn't think of anything he wanted more.

"We should get married," he drawled. The words coming out on their own accord.

"Don't be ridiculous, Nikola," she bit back, pulling away from him.

He'd really done it now. He didn't have to see the cold glint in her eyes, her tone told him it was there. He hadn't meant to upset her, he hadn't even meant to say the words aloud. But why shouldn't they get married? He loved her, she loved him, and now they were going to have a baby. It seemed like the logical thing to do. At least he thought so.

"What's so ridiculous about it?"

"I'm not going to marry you just because you knocked me up. This isn't the 1800's, Nikola."

"I know it's not, but that doesn't mean it's not still the right thing for us to do."

"Would you even be asking me right now if I wasn't pregnant?" She challenged.

Nikola knew he had to word his response carefully. Technically, no, he wouldn't be. But it wasn't for the reasons she thought. If not for the baby, he would have waited awhile longer before asking. But he would still have asked eventually. The truth was he'd wanted to marry her before he'd found out she was pregnant, even the first time. He'd actually bought a ring once, but he'd been too late, John having beaten him to it. So the answer to her current question was rather complicated. He wasn't waiting around because he wasn't sure, he was just waiting for her to be sure. Maybe some part of him had hoped that being faced with having his child would suddenly tip the scales in his favor and that's why it had slipped out.

But apparently he'd waited too long in his response because she huffed loudly before rolling over and pulling the blankets securely around herself.

"Helen-"

"One more word Nikola and I will throw you out of this bed."

"But-"

"I'm serious."

"I only wanted-"

"Out."

"But-"

"Out!" She screamed before literally kicking him out of the bed.

"Oh come on Helen!" He pleaded.

She was sitting up now, glaring menacingly at him.

"No. You can go sleep in your room tonight."

"ljubav…"

She threw a pillow at him and he only just barely dodged it.

"Get out before I shoot you."

He was clearly not going to be able to get through to her. Snatching up his discarded clothes as quickly as he could, Nikola made a hasty retreat.


	5. Chapter 5

Helen was not having a good day. She hadn't slept worth a damn last night. When she'd woken to nothing but cold empty space beside her in the bed, she'd nearly cried. She had been sorely tempted to sneak over to Nikola's normally unused room, but had managed to restrain herself on principle alone. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction. The most frustrating part was that she had slept alone for the better part of the last hundred and fifty years, but after only six months she couldn't get a good night's sleep without Nikola in her bed. Damn bloody vampire.

She rather hoped he'd slept just as poorly, not that he required much sleep to begin with. It would certainly serve him right though. What had possibly possessed him to ask her to marry him? Well, technically he hadn't actually asked, she reminded herself. But still. It wasn't like they were a pair of teenagers trying to escape her daddy's wrath. Or back in the 1800's needing to preserve her honor and reputation. They were both adults and this was the 21st century for god's sake. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean they had to get married.

She supposed she might have reacted a little strongly. She had decided to blame the pregnancy hormones for that. But the truth was, after John, she'd sworn she would never marry. Her career had always come first anyways and she'd realized that marriage would only hold her back.

The reality of it was that she refused to let anyone hurt her like that again. She had loved John so completely, let him in to every corner of her heart, and he'd crushed it. Ever since then she'd become calloused and bitter, keeping most people at arm's length. Especially men. She'd taken plenty of lover's over the years, but she'd never really let any of them in and always pushed them away when they threatened to get too close. Helen Magnus was not good at relationships. She could do mind blowing sex, that part she had down to a science, but when it came to matters of the heart that was a different thing all together. And that was the real reason she'd yelled at Nikola last night.

On top of the terrible night's sleep, she'd already had calls from both the London and the Tokyo sanctuaries with separate crisis', Henry was still eyeing her funny, and Will had just informed her that the Pradophili had fallen ill. She was on her way down to its habitat now to do an examination.

She hadn't been in there more than ten minutes before it emptied the entire contents of its mucus sack with a mighty sneeze. The green goo, for lack of a more scientific term, had gone everywhere. Including all over Helen. Thankfully she'd had her mouth closed, a small comfort she wasn't always granted in such situations. She made a hasty exit after that, retreating into the hall where Will and Henry were waiting for her. But as soon as she made it out she threw up all over Will's shoes. She normally prided herself on her iron stomach, but apparently some of the more troublesome side effects of the pregnancy had decided to make an appearance.

"Will, I am so sorry!"

"It's fine, don't worry about me. Are you ok?"

"Yes yes, I'm fine. And I'll buy you a new pair of shoes, Will. I promise."

"Thanks," he mumbled, looking down at his shoes in disgust.

"Dude, this is so gross," Henry added, looking between them and the now slime covered enclosure.

"Yes, well, judging from the color and consistency, I'd say our friend in there has a rather nasty sinus infection."

"I'm gonna go change," Will announced hurriedly, obviously not wanting to get roped into the inevitable clean up duty.

"Me too. Henry, you clean up the mess and then have Biggie administer some antibiotics," Helen instructed before following Will back towards the residential corridors. She could hear Henry grumbling behind her, but she really didn't care. All she could think about was getting upstairs and into the shower.

She was rather surprised that she hadn't seen Nikola yet. He was probably off sulking somewhere. For all his efforts at playing the snarky emotionally detached vampire, he was actually quite sensitive. It was both endearing and annoying. Knowing she'd need to smooth things over with him sooner or later, she decided to head down to his lab after she'd emerged from her shower.

But, to her surprise, he wasn't there. She checked the wine cellar and he wasn't there either. She tried her office next, but still no luck. Maybe he was out on the grounds somewhere. Grabbing a walkie she radioed to see if anyone had seen him, but none of them had. Fear began to bubble up inside of her. What if he had left? She hadn't thought her reaction last night would have hurt him that badly, but maybe she was wrong. Trying not to panic, she went to search the grounds. An hour later with still no sign of Nikola and she was more than a little worried.

"Henry checked the security logs like you asked. He said Tesla's code was used early this morning at the tunnel entrance, but hasn't been since," Will said as he walked into her office.

Panic had set in and she was bordering on hysterical. She knew it was foolish. He could take care of himself and if he didn't want to be here she couldn't force him to stay. He'd disappeared countless times in the past and she'd never reacted like this. But then again, she'd never been in a serious relationship with him or pregnant with his child when he decided to go missing. Selfish bastard.

"Please tell Henry to let me know if he comes back," Helen could hear the emotion threatening to break through and she knew Will had heard it to.

"I'm sure he's coming back, Magnus. Don't worry."

"Thank you, Will, but I'm not so sure."


	6. Chapter 6

Henry's tablet dinged at him in alert. Apparently Tesla's security code was being used down at the docks.

"Dude, where have you been?" Henry said patching through a video feed to the security panel.

"I had a few errands to run," Nikola replied nonchalantly.

"Well I hope it was worth it cause the Doc's been freaking out."

"I have something special planned for us tonight-"

"Ew, dude, gross!"

"Let me finish, Tiny Tim!" Nikola snapped. He seemed to think better of it though because his tone softened significantly. "I have a surprise for Helen and I need your help. She can't know I'm back just yet. Do you think you and the protégé can keep her distracted for me until everything's ready?"

"Yeah I guess, but we better not get in trouble over it!"

"Relax, if all goes according to plan Helen won't be the least bit angry."

"If you say so."

He was still doubtful.

"Just let me back in and keep Helen from finding out."

Tesla's plans never seemed to turn out well and Henry didn't want to take the blame for it, but he let the code go through and quickly wiped all traces of it from the system. He sincerely hoped he wasn't going to regret this.

****

Helen had decided to administer the antibiotics to the Pradophili herself, if only for something to do to take her mind off of Nikola's departure. This time she had donned some extra protection, not wanting a repeat of her earlier visit.

"You're lucky, you know," she told it as she entered the enclosure. "Your pain can be fixed with a little medicine."

She knew it was silly to be talking to the creature, it wasn't like it could understand her, but it was nice to at least be talking to someone.

"Mine's not quite as easily remedied."

She almost had it cornered.

"It's my own fault though. I shouldn't have yelled at him the way I did."

She was right on top of it.

"I didn't think he'd actually leave."

The syringe was ready to go, all she needed to do was get it in.

"If he asked me again, I mean really asked me and not just stated it like a fact, I think I'd actually consider it."

The needle penetrated the skin easily.

"If I was sure he wasn't just asking because of the baby. If I knew he wasn't doing it out of some kind of obligation."

She depressed the plunger, releasing the medication.

"But I guess none of that really matters now, does it?"

The Pradophili shuffled away as soon as she'd finished its treatment.

"Yeah, I seem to have that effect on people," she muttered as it fled from her.

****

"Any word from Nikola?"

"The system isn't showing that his code's been used again," Will hedged awkwardly, but Magnus didn't seem to notice.

She'd been too distracted all afternoon to take much notice of anything, just sitting up in her office trying to look like she was doing paper work, but Will knew better. The vamp's supposed disappearance was really taking a toll on her. Of course Henry had informed him of Tesla's return hours ago, but they'd managed to keep her from noticing so far. He didn't like keeping secrets from her, especially where Tesla was concerned. If Will had to guess he'd say the guy was up to no good. He honestly didn't know what Magnus saw in him. But he obviously meant alot to her, more than she was probably willing to admit, considering how upset she was now that she thought him gone.

"Hey Will, I could use your help down in the lab," Henry's voice came through the walkie.

He looked to Magnus, not sure he should leave her alone, both because he was concerned about her and because he was supposed to be making sure she didn't accidently run into Tesla before he could finish whatever scheme he was cooking up this time.

"Go. I'll be fine," she said with a smile.

"I'll be right there, Henry," he radioed.

Halfway down to the lab he was nearly barreled over by Tesla.

"Wilhelm! Just the man I was hoping to find."

"I don't have time for this Tesla, Henry needs me down in the lab."

"Au contraire. I had him radio that so I could get you alone without Helen getting suspicious."

"Fine, well I'm here now, what do you want?" He really didn't have much patience for Tesla.

"No need to get snippy. I was only going to tell you that everything is almost ready and could you please make sure Helen comes down to the waterfall in…say thirty minutes?"

"Yeah I guess. What do you have planned anyway?" He didn't even bother trying to hide the suspicion in his voice.

"That's for me to know and Helen to find out," Tesla called over his shoulder as he continued on his way.

Will rolled his eyes. He really didn't like that guy.

****

Nikola was practically buzzing with excitement. He wanted everything to be perfect.

After Helen had kicked him out of their room, he'd spent the whole night trying to figure out what he'd done wrong. The trouble was he really couldn't find anything. He'd puzzled over it until he finally realized that her reaction had less to do with him and much more to do with her. She loved him, he was sure of that, and she didn't want him to leave, the children's descriptions of her behavior since his departure that morning proved it.

After dear old Johnny, he'd watched her push away every single man that dared get too close. He supposed it was something of a defense mechanism, but he'd be damned if he let her do it to him too. He had waited too long for the chance to be with her. He wouldn't allow her to ruin everything he'd ever dreamed of just because she'd been burned in the past. Her flimsy excuses of not wanting to get married just because they were pregnant might be good enough for her, but they weren't for him. He saw straight through her tough exterior and cool logic. The only reason she had for not marrying him was fear. Plain and simple. And as far as he was concerned that was not a good enough reason.

****

Henry and Will had been hovering around her all day, taking turns sitting with her or following her around. If she didn't know they were doing it out of concern she would have been more than a little frustrated and even then she was starting to get rather annoyed. She supposed it was better than being alone with her own thoughts right now. She was beating herself up for how she'd treated Nikola last night, going over it again and again in her mind, seeing his wounded face a thousand times throughout the day. She'd give anything to take it back, anything to bring him back and keep him from ever leaving again. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed him; needed him like she needed oxygen.

Apparently it was the big guy's turn to watch her as he'd just come strolling into her office, platter of tea in hand. She smiled at him sweetly when he offered her a cup.

"Thank you, old friend."

"Drink your tea and then we'll go for a walk," he grunted.

A walk would be nice. She finished her tea quickly and they set off towards the grounds. Their artificial sun had set not long ago and the first of the man-made stars were starting to twinkle down on them. If Henry or Will had asked she probably wouldn't have agreed to it, neither would have left her be, but her old friend let her walk in silence, not pushing for answers or trying to distract her with words. His comfort came in his quiet companionship.

"That blood work I had you run for me yesterday…it was mine." She confessed softly.

"I suspected as much."

"So you know…that I'm…"

"Yes."

They walked in silence a ways further, following the garden path up to the waterfall.

"What am I going to do, old friend? I never expected to raise another child on my own. I never thought I'd be having another child at all."

"You will not be alone," he grunted in reassurance.

"Of course. I didn't mean it like that. I just meant without a father."

They were at the end of the garden now. All that separated them from the waterfall and the little pool at its base was a line of trees and a wall of low hanging vines which almost but not quite touched the ground.

"I know what you meant. But you will not be alone even in that," he said as he parted the curtain of vines for her.

Helen gasped. By the edge of the water was a small table laden with food and topped with some of her best candle sticks. Nikola paced anxiously close by. When he saw them his face broke out in a wide grin. Helen's heart fluttered at the site of him and she could feel tears forming. She wasn't normally much of a crier, but she just couldn't help herself as she watched him rush to her side.

"You cheeky bugger," she whispered, reaching out for him the second he was close enough.

His arms looped lightly around her waist, drawing her to him, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck, nuzzling in closer to him. The smell of him filled her senses and she never wanted to let go. Her tears were staining his cravat, but she didn't care. He had come back; come back to her, for her. Nothing else mattered. They stood like that, him holding her and she clinging desperately to him, for minutes maybe hours. She didn't even notice when her old friend slipped back between the vines.

"Helen?"

"mmm"

"The food will get cold," he whispered, one hand coming up to brush her hair behind her ear.

"I don't care," she mumbled against his neck, snuggling closer to him.

He chuckled, but gently pulled her off him. She whimpered at the loss of contact.

"Please eat, ljubav," he said, lacing their fingers together and tugging her towards the candle lit table.

She'd rather still be in his arms, but she allowed herself to be pulled along. He obviously had a plan for the evening. She'd just as soon skip to the end where they were both naked and he was holding her again, but she decided the least she could do was indulge him.

Arriving at the table, he pulled her chair out for her with a flourish. She took her seat obediently, but refused to let go of his hand when he tried to move to his side of the table. Looking down at her, he raised an eyebrow in question, but didn't say anything, simply reaching over and bringing his chair around the table so he could sit next to her. She knew it was stupid, but she couldn't make herself release his hand, it was like she needed to hold on to him so he wouldn't leave again.

"Is this…?" She asked, finally registering the food laid out before her.

He nodded. "I may have dropped your name at Alfredo's."

She hadn't realized how hungry she was until that moment. Now that she thought about it, she hadn't eaten all day. It was sweet that he'd remembered Alfredo's was her favorite restaurant, she thought absently as she began eating. It didn't take her long to finish everything on her plate, eating for two wasn't light work apparently.

They didn't talk while she ate. He was watching her carefully, some emotion in his eyes she couldn't quite place. And she was still trying to figure out exactly what she wanted to say to him. Words seemed to be failing her at the moment though. Neither one of them had ever been good at the talking stuff, both preferring to show their feelings in more physical ways. She had every intention of using that method of expression later on, but she also knew that this was one of those occasions where that alone wasn't going to be enough.

"Nikola-" she said, putting her fork down and turning to face him.

He cut her off with a finger over her lips.

"Me first, ljubav," he said softly, that undistinguishable emotion clouding his eyes.

He paused for a moment, making sure she was going to let him continue uninterrupted. When she didn't say anything else, he removed his finger and took a deep breath.

"About last night-" he began.

"I know, Nikola, I'm so sorry!" she blurted out, unable to help herself.

He shot her a look that silenced her again.

"As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted," he said, his usual mockery returning.

She smiled at him weakly.

"I know it seemed like I was just saying those things because you told me we're having a baby, but that's not true. I would want to marry you even if you weren't carrying my child," he paused, taking a deep steadying breath. "You are and always will be the only woman I have ever loved. I have known you were the person I wanted to spend the rest of my life with ever since we met back at Oxford. I went back to the surface today because I needed to get something I had stashed away up there."

He fumbled with his coat pocket for a second before pulling out a small antique looking box. Seeing it Helen's heart stopped. Was that…? Was he…? This time she released his hand as he pulled it out of her's. He was watching her closely, searching her face for any hint of a reaction. He was obviously satisfied with whatever he saw there because before she could stop him he'd pushed his chair out from the table and sunk down on his knee in front of her.

"Do you remember the day I missed our biology final exam? You lectured me for an hour saying that I might be a genius, but even geniuses had to show up for the test if they hoped to pass the class."

She nodded mutely.

"Well the reason I missed the test was because I was out buying this. I was too scared to ask back then because I wasn't sure if you cared for me in the same way I did you and by the time I'd gotten up the courage to take the risk Druitt had beat me to it."

He opened the little box to show her a beautiful little antique ring with a single ruby set in the center.

"Oh Nikola, it's beautiful!" she breathed.

"It wasn't near as nice as the one Johnny got you, but it reminded me of the first day I met you. You were wearing a crimson dress that made my heart stop. And when it finally started beating again, it was your's, ljubav."

Nikola removed the ring carefully from the box before setting it back on the table and once again taking her hand.

"So, Helen Patricia Magnus, love of my eternal life and mother of my future child, will you marry me?"

The question hung in the air and she could hear her heartbeat in her ears. She was taking short shallow breaths and her head was starting to spin. He had just asked her to marry him. Really asked her. It wasn't like last night when he'd stated that they should get married. He was actually asking her. She could see the anxiety and vulnerability in his eyes. He had just bared his soul to her. In this moment she had the power to completely crush him. This wouldn't be like all the times she'd denied his sexual advances. This was serious. His continued presence in her life was contingent on what she said next. And if she said no, she knew she'd lose him forever. He would never recover, they would never recover, if she denied him.

But she didn't feel like her hands were tied, like she was being forced into something against her will. She remembered what a terrible night she'd had without him by her side in bed and how horrible she had felt all day thinking she'd never see him again. She couldn't say no, she loved him and would be lost without him. There simply was no other answer she could give him. She had to say yes.

"Yes."

His face lit up like a kid's on Christmas and she knew her answering smile was just as bright as he slipped the ring into place on her finger.

"If you don't like the ring, I got another one today. A more modern one with a diamond and everything," he added uncertainly.

"No, this one is perfect," she reassured him.

He smiled again before kissing her soundly.

"And Nikola?" She mumbled against his lips when they finally came up for air.

"Yes, ljubav?"

"Don't you ever leave like that again," she scolded, punching him in the arm and silencing his yelp of pain with another passionate kiss.


	7. Chapter 7

Helen sat straight up in bed, a light sheen of sweat covering her body and her breathing heavy. The early morning light filtering in through the open windows gave her room a soft glow. Her mind was still foggy with sleep and she fought to push away the last remnants of the nightmare she'd just awoken from. It had become quite a common occurrence in the last few weeks. She remembered having the same problem when she was pregnant with Ashley and was grateful to have Nikola in the bed with her this time around. But for some reason his lean arms weren't already wrapped around her in comfort. She frowned and turned to find the bed empty beside her.

"Nikola?" She called quietly, hoping that maybe he was just in the bathroom.

When no answer came, she laid back down and tried to calm her still racing heart. The nightmares were almost always the same. Someone, she never knew who, was hunting her, stalking through her Sanctuary in the dead of night. She was never afraid for herself, but the tiny infant she would be carrying. She had to protect it, had to keep it out of harm's way. But she was never fast enough, never strong enough to fight off whatever demons her mind conjured up. They were trapped with nowhere to go, no escape. Just as her precious baby was being ripped from her arms, she'd wake up.

She was slowly waking up, but her senses were on alert after her jarring dream. When the knob on her door began to giggle like someone was trying to get in, she sat bolt upright for the second time that morning. Holding her breath, she reached for the gun she kept hidden by her bed. As the door swung fully open, she let out a sigh. It was only Nikola. Nikola and an eating tray loaded down with what looked like breakfast.

"Don't shoot," he said teasingly.

She smiled at him warmly and returned the gun to its hiding place. Whatever he'd brought with him smelled delicious.

"I thought you might enjoy some breakfast in bed," he explained, coming around to her side of the bed and offering her the tray of food.

"Thank you. This is lovely."

He lent in and kissed her softly, finally noticing her sweaty skin and the lingering panic in her eyes.

"You had another nightmare, didn't you?"

She nodded, dropping her gaze down to the food, not wanting to talk about it.

"I'm sorry I wasn't here, ljubav." His words were soft and comforting. He tucked her hair behind her ear and gave her another quick peck on the cheek.

"You're here now," she whispered, leaning in to his touch.

He smiled at her before making his way back to the other side of the bed and climbing in beside her, snuggling in as close as the eating tray on her lap would allow.

He'd brought her quite the breakfast. One plate held a stack of three golden brown pancakes topped with fresh strawberries, blueberries, a generous amount of whip cream, and a miniature pitcher of syrup to the side. Another smaller plate was filled with scrambled eggs, bacon, and a few links of sausage. A tall glass of orange juice and a cup of tea completed the shmorgishborg.

"I figured I'd treat you since today is such a big day," Nikola said while she ate.

"What's so special about today?" She couldn't for the life of her remember anything important about the date. It wasn't an anniversary or birthday. She had a video call with all the heads of houses this afternoon, but she doubted that's what he was talking about. By all accounts it was just another Thursday.

"It's the twenty-third, Helen," he prompted, trying to throw her a bone.

It still wasn't clicking though. He could see her confusion and he rolled his eyes at her in mock exasperation.

"You're officially in your second trimester," he finally explained.

"Oh."

It was all she managed to get out. She knew exactly what he was getting at. She'd honestly forgotten and had hoped he would too.

"This is delicious, did you make it yourself?" She tried to change the subject as she continued to eat.

"The big hairy one may have helped some," he conceded reluctantly.

"You know I hate it when you call him that."

"Don't change the subject."

"Nikola…"

"You promised."

"I know I did, but I just don't know that now is the right time."

"No more excuses. You said you wanted to wait until you made it into your second trimester, to make sure you weren't going to lose the baby. Well, it's now your second trimester and you haven't lost the baby, so it's time to tell them."

She sighed. She had wanted to wait in case she ended up losing the baby, no need to tell everyone only to miscarriage. But it was more than that. She knew what they thought of her's and Nikola's relationship as it was. That it was a passing fancy that would eventually blow over, nothing more than sex, she would eventually come to her sense or pay the consequences. But now pregnant AND getting married…she knew what they'd think, what anyone would think.

"Besides, it's not like you can hide it much longer, ljubav." He teased.

"Nikola Tesla! Are you calling me fat?" She joked back.

She swatted at him playfully. He caught her hand easily, bringing it up to kiss each of her fingers lightly.

"Never," he said when he was finished.

She was done eating so he took the tray and set it on the floor beside the bed. Once free of any restrictions, she snuggled against his chest, content to let him hold her for the moment. She needed to figure out what exactly she was going to say to her staff, her friends. She'd managed to convince Nikola that they should keep their engagement a secret for the time being. She'd made several fine arguments. Saying it would be easier to tell them all the news in one go rather than having to gather them twice. Claiming that people would be suspicious, start asking questions or make assumptions and keeping the pregnancy to themselves for the time being was important to her. In reality, she just wasn't ready to share either of their little secrets.

But she had promised him. The thought of sitting down with her staff made her sick to her stomach. She loved Nikola and knew that marrying him was the right decision for them. She knew her team wasn't overly fond of Nikola, or he of them, but they'd all learned to live together over the past six months. That wasn't the part that was making her nervous though. It was the pregnancy.

She honestly had no idea how they were going to react. She'd been more than a little shocked herself. The fact that she was 275 and had accidently gotten knocked up was slightly embarrassing. Not to mention that Henry, who she considered her son and had raised since he was a child, was also having a baby that would ultimately only be a few months older than her's. There were just too many oddities about the whole situation, but weird was their specialty so maybe they'd all take it better than she anticipated.

"Stop over thinking it. It'll be fine,"

"I'm just scared of how they're going to react," she admitted honestly.

"The great Helen Magnus, monster hunter, is afraid to tell her friends she's having a baby and is getting married?" He was laughing at her.

She shifted slightly so she could glare up at him. It wasn't funny. Ok, maybe it was a little funny, but tell that to her churning stomach.

"It is a bit ridiculous isn't it?" She finally admonished, trying to laugh at herself and ignore her nerves.

"Very ridiculous," he agreed.

"I suppose I should go gather the troops. Can't put it off forever," she said, finally getting out of bed to prepare for her day.

"I already took care of it," Nikola said proudly. "Everyone is meeting in your office at nine o'clock."

"Nikola, that's in twenty minutes!"

She barely had time to make it to the bathroom before she was throwing up the wonderful breakfast Nikola had brought her.


	8. Chapter 8

By the time her stomach had finally settled and she'd made herself presentable, she was late for the meeting with her staff. Nikola had gone on ahead of her, giving her space to mentally prepare herself for what was coming. Walking into her office, she surveyed the scene in front of her, testing the atmosphere. As was usual when her team was alone with Nikola there was a tension in the air. Henry occupied one of the armchairs, fiddling with his tablet as a means of distraction. Will was alone on one of the twin sofas, glaring over at Nikola who sat calmly in the matching adjacent sofa as if oblivious or simply not caring. The big guy stood silently by the fireplace, seemingly impassive.

For a split second no one noticed her in the door way. After only a moment's hesitation she moved fully into the room making her presence known. She opted for the empty space next to Nikola on the sofa rather than the remaining armchair, knowing she'd need his support. It was silly how worked up she was, it shouldn't be this difficult.

"Magnus what's going on? Tesla dragged us all here for an unscheduled staff meeting for which he offered no explanation and he refused to say a word without you here."

Will's tone was a little biting. He was agitated, which didn't help her nerves. She knew he was not going to be happy. Of all of them, his reaction was the one she was dreading the most. Steeling herself, she slid in closer to Nikola until their sides were flush. Her hands were resting awkwardly in her lap and Nikola slipped one of his quietly between them and wrapped the other arm tightly around her waist, a silent encouragement. She gripped his hand fiercely and took a steadying breath. The whole exchange wasn't lost on Will.

"Nikola asked you here on my behave, Will."

"Ok?" He drew the word out into a question.

"Is everything alright, Doc?" Henry wasn't as frustrated as Will, though she could still hear it slightly in his voice.

She was confident that Henry would accept their news fairly easily, if not a bit awkwardly. Whether he admitted it or not, she knew he admired Nikola a great deal and for the most part enjoyed having him around to help out in the lab. But Helen was like a mother to him and that made things more complicated. He was very protective of her. Seeing her with Nikola was hard for him simply because he didn't want to think of her being with anyone like that.

The big guy already knew all they had to say, so she wasn't really sure why he was here. Probably just for moral support. He'd always stood by her faithfully and for that she was very grateful. But she found herself wishing that Kate were here as well. She was happy that the younger woman had found her place in hollow earth and she was no doubt a valuable asset down there, but she missed her nonetheless. Kate would have known exactly what to do to lighten the situation and keep both Will and Henry in check. She also would have been 100% supportive. She'd always seen Helen and Nikola as an inevitability. It was something the two of them had discussed many times. But Kate wasn't here, it was just the boys and they were both staring at her expectantly.

She opened and closed her mouth several times, the words getting stuck. She cleared her throat, hoping it would clear her head as well, but it didn't help.

"Mommy and Daddy are going to make it official," Nikola said, taking pity on her. His words were mocking and slightly condescending. She could see Will and Henry tense in response. This wasn't how she wanted things to start out.

"What's he talking about, Doc?" Henry asked, an edge of panic sneaking into his voice.

Will just sat there, his gaze focused intently on Magnus. She felt like he was appraising her. She'd slid Nikola's ring back onto her finger before coming down to her office. She hadn't been wearing it considering they had been trying to keep it a secret. But she had donned it today, knowing the fact that its continued absence from her finger had been grating on Nikola for the last few weeks. She knew when Will had seen it because his eyes darkened ever so slightly and it suddenly felt heavy on her finger.

"Nikola has asked me to marry him," Helen told Henry, refusing to meet Will's eyes.

Henry's mouth dropped open and then snapped shut.

"Um..that's…wow," was all he managed to get out at first. "I guess you said yes, right?"

"I said yes," she confirmed, still avoiding Will and his probing eyes.

The room was silent for a beat. Henry was still in shock, her old friend hadn't said a word, Will was fuming, and Nikola was fidgeting by her side, obviously impatient for her to share the rest of their news.

"You're pregnant," Will's voice was cold. It wasn't a question.

"Dude, that was so out of line," Henry cut in, quickly jumping to Helen's aid.

"No, it's alright Henry," she soothed before turning to finally meet Will's gaze. She held it for a few seconds, watching the anger swirl in his eyes. "Yes, Will, I am."

"Dude," Henry choked out in a quiet voice but she didn't look over, her eyes trained on Will.

"Unbelievable," he said darkly under his breath, dropping his gaze.

"If you have something you'd like to say, William, by all means…" she challenged, anger starting to creep into her own voice.

Henry sat stunned in the armchair, his eyes unfocused, not really looking anywhere in particular. Biggie had started fidgeting by the fireplace, shifting his weight from foot to foot and grunting slightly. The tension in the room was almost palpable.

"I said," Will began, raising his eyes to her's again, his voice dripping with anger. "This is unbelievable."

She knew there was more so she sat silently, waiting for him to continue.

"You spend 113 years on vacation, come back and lie to all of us for a year, put us through hell, before revealing your master plan, and no one said anything. Then once we're here you shack up with vampy over there, the two of you going at it night and day like a pair of rutting animals, practically throwing it in our faces when you know how much we hate Tesla, and still no one says anything. But now, this? No. I'm done not saying anything, Magnus. You want everyone to believe you're so high and mighty, freakin' mother Teresa of the abnormal community. Of course you have to marry him now, gotta save your pretty lil face somehow."

"That is quite enough, Dr. Zimmermon," she said, warning him. But he wasn't finished and apparently wouldn't be stopped.

"But the reality is the great Helen Magnus got herself knocked up because she can't keep her legs shut and she either can't see or just doesn't care what an arrogant ass she's spreading them for."

Everything after that happened in a blur. She heard a growl beside her, but that was the only warning she had before Nikola launched himself at Will. He collided into him with such force that the couch toppled over backwards. He was on his feet in seconds though, bringing Will with him and slamming him into the nearest wall. A taloned hand was wrapped around Will's throat as Nikola lifted him off the ground, hissing and baring his teeth at him. There was a ripping sound as Henry turned HAP and charged towards Will as well. Biggie yelled and launched himself at Henry, restraining the younger man. Henry snarled and fought him briefly before morphing back into his human form, breathing heavily and visibly shaking with anger. Helen was on her feet, rushing to Nikola's side. Will's face was turning purple and she was afraid Nikola would kill him or at the very least crush his windpipe.

"Nikola," she said, willing him to let Will go.

But he didn't budge, only hissing again and pushing Will further up the wall.

"Niko…," she said it quietly so only he could hear. He finally turned his head to look at her. "Please."

His eyes held her's for a few seconds longer before the blackness melted away, replaced by his usual blue-grey. He retracted his talons slowly before finally releasing his grip on Will's neck so that the younger man collapsed limply to the floor, unconscious.


	9. Chapter 9

"What are you going to do about this, Helen?" Nikola asked hotly.

"I'm not sure," she admitted truthfully.

Nikola watched her carefully as she pulled in her bottom lip and chewed it absently. He could see the guilt written all over her face.

"Don't do that, ljubav."

"Do what?"

"Blame yourself. This isn't your fault."

How could she possibly think she'd done anything wrong? It was that petulant, ungrateful, jealous protégé of her's that was to blame. He was still fuming from Will's outburst. He would've loved to kill the little brat for what he said to Helen and he was fairly sure that Henry would have helped him, judging by the way the young HAP had reacted earlier. The only thing that had saved his worthless hide was the fact that Helen was there to stop them both.

She'd done a quick examination to make sure he was breathing and then the big hairy one had hauled him off to the infirmary. Henry, realizing he was naked, had scurried off rather quickly, which just left the two of them. He helped her right the sofa before sinking into it and pulling her down with him.

"If you don't do something, I will," he threatened.

"Nikola! You will do no such thing. Don't you dare lay so much as a talon on Will or so help me god."

She squirmed around in his arms so she could face him and took his face in her hands, forcing him to look her in the eye.

"Promise me you will not hurt Will."

He growled. He tolerated Will's continual jabs at him, but he would not allow him to speak to or about Helen like that.

"Nikola, promise me. Let me deal with this."

"Fine, I promise not to lay a hand on him," he finally conceded.

"Thank you." She leaned in and gave him a quick peck before getting up. "I should probably try to get some work done while I decide what to do."

Taking that as his cue to leave, he got to his feet quickly. He had someone he wanted to have a little chat with anyways. He'd promised he wouldn't physically harm Will, but he hadn't said anything about verbal abuse.

Will woke in the infirmary. His neck felt like it was on fire. He sat up slowly and grimaced at even the most minute movement of his sore muscles. He tried clearing his throat, but that only sent spikes of pain through his stiff neck. Biggie was sitting quietly by his bed, watching him carefully.

"What happened?" Will choked out, grimacing at the pain it produced.

"Tesla," the big guy grunted as way of explanation.

Will nodded, not willing to risk speaking again. He remembered the vampire tackling him and pinning him to the wall, he must have passed out after that. His cheeks burned red at the memory of what had caused him to react so violently.

He couldn't believe he'd gotten so out of control. It was like all his pent up anger from the last year and half had come rushing out all at once. He had told her coming in that he didn't want secrets, that he wanted full disclosure of everything. But all that had gone to the wind. He felt like he'd been lied to at every turn and then when she finally came clean to him and they'd finally moved underground she dumped the majority of the work load on him so that she could run off and screw with the vampire. It was frustrating to say the least. And the fact that he had more than just a little crush on her didn't help things. It was infuriating to see her with such an arrogant ass like Tesla. He could've dealt with anyone else, maybe, but of all the people she could have chosen why did it have to be the one guy he hated more than anyone else?

None of it was an excuse for his behavior, of course, but that was the only explanation he could give for his actions. He was lucky Tesla hadn't killed him over it. He certainly wouldn't be surprised if he no longer had a job.

"Magnus?" He croaked out.

"Cooling off."

That was probably for the best. He debated going and finding her to try to apologize, but figured it would be better for her to come to him when she was ready. He knew she would be angry no matter when they talked, but he'd rather not deal with a totally irate Magnus. Plus it would give him time to think. Even if she didn't fire him, he wasn't sure he wanted to stick around and watch her and Tesla play house. He had some decisions he needed to make before facing her again.

By the time he'd made it down to the infirmary Will wasn't there anymore. He checked his office and his room, but he wasn't either of those places either. Taking a stab in the dark, Nikola headed out on to the grounds in the direction of the waterfall. He knew that was where Helen always went to think and if the protégé was as enamored with her as he suspected that was sure to be where he was. Sure enough, he found the young man standing on the rocky ledge of the cliffs above the falls. It was the highest point of the complex and offered a perfect view of the facilities. He hadn't heard Nikola approaching, or he just didn't care, because he didn't acknowledge his presence.

"I'd tell you not to jump, but you'd be doing me a favor if you did so I'll keep my mouth shut," he quipped, making his presence known.

The poor man nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of his voice. His eyes were wide with a mixture of shock and fear. Nikola smirked, glad that the stupid boy realized how much trouble he was in and just how much physical harm he could inflict on him. The already black and purple hand print around his throat was testament enough to that.

"Relax Huggybear, I promised Helen I wouldn't hurt you," He figured it was better to lead with that. "I simply want to talk."

The young man looked skeptical, but seemed to accept what he was saying considering he relaxed slightly and turned his attention back to the view. Satisfied that he was going to listen, Nikola launched into the tirade he'd been working on in his head.

"Listen up, kiddy, cause I'm only going to say this once. If you ever say anything like that to Helen again, I don't care how much she pleads with me, I will rip you from limb to limb."

He let his inner vampire come out to emphasize his words with a more threatening tone. Will turned his head to glare at Nikola, but didn't say anything so he pushed forward.

"If you recall she put us all through hell with her secrets and manipulations after her little jaunt through time. We were all just as in the dark as you. But you don't see the rest of us getting our panties in a wad. We've accepted that she did what she had to, but for whatever reason you seem to think that you're better than the rest of us and therefore deserved to know above everyone else. Despite what you think, you are not her equal, none of us are, not even me. You may think that she's been riding you hard since we moved down here, but that was only because she trusted you. She thought you were capable of handling things. It was an honor not a punishment. But you're obviously not what she thought you were. Protégés are easy to replace, William, she's had several over the years and she's more than capable of finding a new one now. There are tons of people that would jump at the chance to experience and be a part of all of this. It would be wise for you to keep that in mind. And I'll end with this; you may harbor some sweet little school boy crush on her, but I have loved her for over a century. Now that I have her, I'm not going anywhere. If you can't accept that, then I suggest you leave."

It wasn't quite what he'd rehearsed in his head, but he supposed it was good enough. Having said his peace, he turned and returned inside, leaving the younger man to his own thoughts.

She had expected Will to have a negative response, but it had been so much worse than she ever could have imagined. His words had stung and cut straight to her heart. She knew she'd been pushing him hard for the last 18 months; keeping secrets, making demands on him with no explanation, placing more responsibility on his shoulders. She'd been so wrapped up in Nikola that she hadn't been paying attention to how Will was doing under the stress of it all, hadn't seen how close to the breaking point he really was. Despite how out of line his outburst had been, she couldn't help but feel partly responsible. She had pushed him too hard and not seen it until it was too late.

Nikola was right, she had to do something; the question was what? She couldn't let him stay here if he continued to act in this manner, but she couldn't exactly send him back to the surface either. His affiliation with her had left him just as much in the cold as she had been before faking her death. She couldn't in good conscious force him to return to all of that. Subsequently, she wasn't going to end things with Nikola just because Will had a problem with it. And she absolutely would not tolerate his behavior. The whole thing was a headache.

Resting her elbows on the polished surface of her desk she rubbed her temples, trying to relieve some of the tension she felt. It didn't work. She hated the corner she'd been backed into. She was very much between a rock and a hard place. There was really only one solution she could think of and it wasn't what she wanted. As much as she loathed Will's behavior and attitude as of late, she really did depend on him. She let out a frustrated sigh, resigned to the fact that this would be the best solution for the time being. The only thing left now was to deliver the news to Will.

She found him in his room, drawn by the steady thump of a baseball hitting the wall. She knew it was something he did when upset. The direction in which she had approached his room meant he was unaware of her presence. Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the door way, catching the baseball deftly before it could slam into the wall once again. The multitude of dents in the wall were evidence enough of just how much frustration he'd been feeling sense arriving at the new sanctuary. His eyes widened in shock at seeing her and he jumped to his feet from the chair he'd been sitting in.

"Magnus! I-"

"Don't Will."

His brow furrowed, but he sunk back down into the chair when she gestured for him to do so.

"What you said to me earlier was not only uncalled for, but unprofessional and extremely disrespectful. I could fire you for it…but I won't."

Relief washed over his face at her words and he let out a giant breath she hadn't realized he'd been holding.

"You are perhaps the most promising protégé I have ever had and I consider you a friend as well, but you are still my employee and you don't get a say in my personal life. What you said and how you acted is inexcusable. As mad as I may be at the moment, I cannot send you out into the cold. But you can't stay here anymore either, at least not for the time being."

"I don't understand," he croaked out, his brow furrowing in confusion.

" I'm sending you to the London sanctuary. I've already spoken with Declan. You leave first thing in the morning."

"But-"

"No buts. I will not have you in my house any longer. I do hope that eventually bridges can be mended so that you may return. I've come to rely on you quite heavily, William. I'd be lying if I told you things won't be more difficult once you're gone, but this is the best solution I can think of at the moment. You can either go to London or you can quit, those are your only options."

He was silent for quite some time while he thought it over. She meant what she'd said, things would be more difficult after he left. The extra burden would fall on her and the added stress was probably not what she needed at the moment, but she'd gotten on fine without help for years and she knew she could do it again. Him staying here just simply wasn't an option at the moment not with everyone's emotions running so high. He needed to be punished for his actions; he needed to know that what he'd said was not ok and that his words had serious consequences. She knew that sending him away might only serve to anger him further towards her, but she hoped that he saw it for what she meant it to be, a second chance. She was hoping the time apart would allow everyone's heads to clear, emotions to settle, wounds inflicted to heal. Her plan, if everything went well, was to have him return when the baby was born. She would like to have someone to take over temporarily to allow her to recover and adjust to having a newborn again. If he still wasn't ready to return, or if he decided he didn't want to, well she would cross that bridge when she got there.

"I'm sorry, Magnus. For what I said." His voice was barely above a whisper and his eyes were downcast, not meeting her's. It was so different than the forceful, aggressive nature of his previous outburst.

"I know, Will. But the damage has already been done and it can't be taken back. Now we all just need time to heal."

He nodded silently, still not looking at her. She tossed the baseball lightly onto the bed before reaching into the pocket of her coat. She'd arranged for his flight to London. She laid the tickets on the nightstand before turning to leave.

"London or the surface, either way, I want you gone by morning."


	10. Chapter 10

"Damn it!" Helen cursed from her closet.

Nikola couldn't help but grin. Slowly but surely Helen was outgrowing her wardrobe. As of yet she had stubbornly refused to make the transition to maternity wear, but she was running out of options fast. Personally, he didn't understand her reluctance. He knew she was fastidious about her outfits, almost as much as he was, but he was sure she'd be able to find suitable replacements. The maternity fashions today were quite inventive and there were so many options for her, much more than women had back when they were growing up.

Suppressing a chuckle, he made his way into the closet to see what the problem was exactly. She was stepping out of a dress just as he came around a corner of her massive walk in, leaving her in only a matching pair of lavender undergarments. Hearing his approach she leveled him with a steely glare, fury in her eyes.

"This is your fault," she accused, hanging the dress back up.

"What did I do this time?" he teased.

"That was one of the last dresses I had that still fit me and now I can't get it zipped," she told him hotly.

He sniggered.

"It's not funny, Nikola! None of my pants button anymore and I'm tired of wearing the same dresses, a selection that's quickly dwindling by the way," she ranted.

He tried to school his face into a careful mask. He knew this was a touchy subject for her.

"So just don't wear any clothing. You look better like that anyway," he leered.

She rolled her eyes.

"You could just buy new clothes. Erika's offered to take you to that maternity shop she loves," he suggested, his tone turning back to serious.

"Yeah, I guess it's time," she mumbled, looking down at her feet.

He crossed the distance between them, wrapping her up in his arms and tucking her head under his chin. Without her heels she was the perfect height for him to hold in this manner. He felt her sniffle into his chest.

"What's wrong, ljubav?" he crooned, stroking her hair.

"It's stupid," she murmured, grateful he couldn't see her face.

"Tell me."

"I feel like I'm getting fat," she admitted softly.

He couldn't help the little laugh that escaped his lips. She pulled back angrily and slapped his shoulder. She went to stalk out of the closest, but he was too quick, catching her around the waist and pulling her back against him.

"Let me go, Nikola," she demanded.

He held her tighter, pressing her against his body. His lips descended on her shoulder, kissing his way across and up her neck. She squirmed under him, still trying half heartedly to escape his grasp.

"You. Are. Not. Fat." He told her, punctuating each word with a soft kiss. "You're pregnant. There's a difference."

She huffed.

"You are the most beautiful woman in the world. And this," his hands slid over her slightly swollen tummy. "makes you even more beautiful. Something I didn't think was possible."

His warm breath washed over the skin of her neck and he nipped at her earlobe. He felt her relax into his embrace, leaning back against him.

"You really think so? I'm only going to get bigger you know...much much bigger."

"Yes, ljubav, I really think so," he reassured her.

"You say that now, but what about five months from now when I'm huge and swollen and bloated?"

"You will always be beautiful to me."

She sighed, knowing it was pointless to continue arguing. He knew she didn't really believe him, but it was true. There was no way he'd ever think of her as anything less than beautiful. Seeing her grow with his child only made him more attracted to her.

"Will you please go with Erika to buy some maternity clothes? Stop torturing yourself by trying to squeeze into clothes that aren't made for pregnancy. Find things that fit you and make you feel beautiful."

"Fine," she grumbled.

He sighed in relief. This would be good for her, whether she knew it or not. He turned her around in his arms, taking her face in his hands so that he could kiss her soundly. Bending down, he kissed her tummy tenderly before sauntering out of the closet to go find the young HAP in question.

"I'm so glad you finally agreed to this, Helen!" Erika gushed as they walked into the maternity store.

"Yeah, me too," she said honestly.

She'd had plenty of time to think about what Nikola had said to her this morning in the closet. She put alot of value in how she looked, as conceited as that was. Her wardrobe was filled with clothes that made her feel sexy and confident, when she couldn't fit in them anymore her confidence wavered. She knew it was silly, but she couldn't help it. Perhaps Nikola was right, she just needed to find new clothes that made her feel just as good while also accommodating her growing belly.

She had gone through something similar when pregnant with Ashley. Back then it had been James reassuring her of her beauty and giving much the same advice that Nikola had. But even knowing this about herself from the first time around, it didn't help squash the feeling she was having.

"I did the same thing, you know," Erika said quietly, breaking through Helen's train of thought.

"Pardon?"

"You're clothes aren't fitting anymore. You don't feel pretty like you used to. You're getting self conscious, thinking he won't be attracted to you anymore. Am I close?"

Helen nodded, a blush creeping into her cheeks.

"I don't think there's a pregnant woman out there that doesn't go through that. Don't worry. This will help, I promise."

She let the girl lead her deeper into the store. Helen had always loved shopping and she quickly lost herself in the process. The maternity styles nowadays were much different than they had been when she was younger, even different than when she'd been pregnant with Ashley. They were all stylish and trendy, basically the same as regular clothing but made slightly differently to accommodate for pregnancy. They had everything from casual wear to business attire to lingerie. Erika saw her eyeing the lingerie section and giggled.

"You'd be surprised what they have in there," she told the older woman. "Henry and I have quite enjoyed several of the pieces I found here."

Helen didn't necessarily want to think of her adopted son in that manner, but knew that hadn't been Erika's intention. The two of them had actually grown quite close over the last month. Erika was thrilled to have another pregnant woman in the house to talk with and confide in. Helen had found it comforting as well. As much as she loved Nikola there just were some things that only another woman could understand fully. And she had enjoyed getting to know Erika better. The girl was part of the family now and their babies were going to be very close in age so they were basically going to be going through much the same things for many years to come. She hadn't really had any girlfriends to share with when pregnant with Ashley. No Mommy and Me groups or play dates or the like. She was rather looking forward to such things. There were several new experiences she planned to enjoy this time, mainly the fact that she'd have a father to help her share the burden.

"I think I'll just go check it out then," Helen told her with a wink.

They spent several hours in the store, each trying on a variety of outfits. They had pads that Helen could strap across her midsection to see how the clothing would look as she got bigger and she found several things she liked. The sight of herself rounded under the dresses made her happier than she had expected. She really did love being pregnant and was looking forward to being a mother again.

By the time they walked away they both had several bags worth of goodies. Helen hadn't realized how much she had needed a good girls' day out. And her new wardrobe had enhanced her mood significantly. She was happy with her finds and confident that they would make her feel much better about herself as the pregnancy progressed. Nikola had been right, all she'd needed was a good makeover.

On their way back to the Sanctuary they made a quick detour to another of Erika's favorite store, Baby's R Us. Henry and Erika had long since completed their nursery, but they couldn't help continue to pick up little pieces here and there as they got closer to the due date. Considering the extended time they had to wait, they were developing quite a collection. There was no doubt that their little baby would have plenty of toys and clothes.

Walking into the store, Helen's heart throbbed painfully. All the little baby clothes and toys and other miscellaneous items stirred something inside her. She was even more overwhelmed than she'd been in the maternity store. She had always loved the adorable little outfits you could dress babies in. She'd dotted on Ashley shamefully. Sometimes James would tease her saying the girl never wore the same outfit twice. She had waved him off, but known that he was right. The women riffled through the racks, oo-ing and aw-ing at the adorable little clothes.

"So do you just buy neutral clothes since you don't know the sex of the baby?" Helen asked Erika curiously.

"We were going to, but gradually we both starting buying more gender specific things 'just in case'. Until now we have a bunch of stuff for both," Erika laughed, confirming what Helen knew she herself would be guilty of in their situation.

"So what will you do with the extras?" She teased.

"Well I guess they can be passed over to you now," Erika shrugged.

"That's assuming we have opposite genders. What happens if we both have girls or both boys? Then you'd be stuck with a bunch of extra baby stuff."

"We'll stock pile it for the next one then I guess."

"You want more? Does Henry know that?"

Erika laughed.

"He's all for a big family. It's a bit more of a challenge considering the nature of my extended pregnancies, but we hope to have at least one more. What about you and Nikola?"

She honestly hadn't thought about it. Would Nikola want more kids? This one hadn't been planned and they'd never discussed kids before finding out she was pregnant. They'd both just kind of accepted the situation and moved on. They were happy, of course, but they hadn't talked about the option of more than one baby.

"I...we haven't talked about it actually," she admitted.

"Well what do you want?" Erika prompted.

"We'll see how this one goes over first," she teased, dismissing the subject casually.

She really hadn't thought about it. Would she want more kids in the future? The thought of little Nikola's running around the sanctuary made her smile and she found that she wasn't totally opposed to the idea. But she'd been right when she said they'd need to see how this one went first.

They wondered further into the store, looking at cribs, strollers, highchairs, and all the other millions of things a baby needed. Helen had forgotten just how much stuff was required. They came to a section with a bunch of stuffed animals and she glanced over them quickly. One caught her eye; it was a small little teddy bear. She'd bought an almost identical one for Ashley when she was a baby. It had been her favorite stuffed animal. When she was about three it had been eaten by a new arrival and Ashley had cried for hours. She snatched up the little bear and held it in her hands, lost in the memories of all the times she'd used it during bedtimes and naps.

"You should get it," Erika encouraged. "It can be the first piece of your nursery."

"I think I will," Helen told her, cradling the little bear against her chest.

They spent awhile longer with the stuffed animals, joking that a few of them looked like various residents back at the sanctuary. They were both laughing hardily by the time they made it to the check out. Erika had refrained from getting anything, saying they had plenty already. The girl at the counter put the little bear in a bag and the two women headed for their car, ready to get back to the sanctuary and their men.

"Hello ladies," Nikola drawled. "Fun day out shopping?"

He was waiting for them when they returned, ready to help with all the bags of their purchased treasures.

"Yes, we had a very good time," Erika told him.

He came over to Helen, kissing her lightly, glad she was home. She knew how he felt. She'd only been gone for the afternoon, but she had missed him nevertheless. Ever since the little scare he'd given her, she rarely strayed far from his presence for long. It was silly, but she had accepted her new dependence on him. Plus, she knew he felt the same way, which took away any embarrassment.

"Feeling better?" he asked, looking her in the eye, searching for any hint of her previously sour mood.

"Yes, much. Thank you for suggesting this."

He smiled broadly at her, truly glad she seemed to be feeling better.

"Did you buy the whole store?" He teased, taking the bags out of the trunk of her car.

She rolled her eyes at him. It was true, she might have gone a little overboard, but she'd always been like that. She never bought just one or two things when she went out. It was a nasty habit, but not one she planned on giving up.

"Cheeky monkey," she laughed, kissing him on the cheek as the three of them made their way into the complex.

"Where's Henry?" Erika asked.

"Down in the labs. He's working on some kind of new weapon. Wouldn't tell me what though, says he wants it to be a big surprise. I'm sure he wouldn't mind being interrupted if it was you."

"Thanks, I think I'll go put my bags in our room and then go check on him," she told the pair of them before heading off towards their side of the complex.

Nikola had been making the effort to be nicer with the remainder of her staff lately. The softer, more sincere side of him that up until now she'd been the only one privy to had finally come out in regards to her team. It was nice seeing them all get along so well.

Ever since Will had left a month ago, things had been quiet and peaceful. There was a definite increase in the work load for everyone as they had to pick up the slack in his absence. But they had all stepped up marvelously, even Nikola and Erika. She missed Will sometimes, but she was glad for the absence of drama. She often saw him in her weekly video conferences with Declan, but other than that they hadn't had much contact since he left. She wanted to give him his space and she still needed some herself. What he'd said had been mean and hurtful and she was still trying to work past it. She hoped that he would be able to return, that things would go back to the way they'd been before, but she knew it would take time.

"So what all did you get?" Nikola asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"How about a fashion show?" She suggested.

"I'd love that," he said honestly and she smiled sweetly at him.

She dutifully tried on every article of clothing she'd bought. He gave his opinions, complimenting the color of this one or the neck line of that one. She knew he meant every word he said. He wasn't just humoring her like most men would; it was one of the many things she loved about him.

"Is that everything?" he asked after the final bag was unloaded.

"Not quite," she told him, mischief in her eyes.

She'd purposefully hidden one bag away in the bathroom, saving the best for last. He raised an eyebrow at her and she couldn't help but smile.

"Why don't you save it for tonight," he suggested.

It caught her a little by surprised. Usually he was all over her. A tiny streak of the fear from this morning ran through her. Was he not attracted to her anymore now that her body was beginning to change? He'd been sitting on the bed watching her as she showed off her new clothes. She climbed up beside him, snuggling into him. She rubbed her leg up his and fiddled absently with the buttons on his shirt. He traced light patterns on her hip.

"Nikola?"

"Yes?"

"Do you still find my attractive? Even though my body is changing? Some men don't," she tried to keep her voice steady.

"I thought we'd already covered this in the closet this morning?"

"Well there's a difference between thinking me beautiful and still being attracted to me...still wanting to touch me, be with me," she tried feebly.

He sighed, lifting her chin up so that she was forced to look him in the eye.

"Can I be honest with you, ljubav?"

She tried not to wince; here it was, what she'd suspected, what she'd feared. She nodded silently, steeling herself for what was coming. He leaned down so that he could whisper in her ear.

"I've never been more attracted to you than I am right now."

He nipped at her ear and she gasped, taken completely by surprise by his words.

"Really?" she breathed as his lips worked up her jaw.

"Really," he whispered, his lips inches from her own.

He closed the gap between them, kissing her with so much passion that it took her breath away. She fisted one hand in his shirt, the other in his hair, pulling him down on top of her. His hands slipped under her top, caressing her stomach, working his way higher up. He cupped her breasts as he continued to kiss her. She gasped at the sensation. Her breasts were so sensitive that the lightest of touches sent thrills through her body. He'd always had a particular appreciation for her generous bust, but ever since the pregnancy he'd become increasingly enamored with them. He worked them gently but firmly and she moaned into their kiss. She felt his lips curl into a smile. She shifted so that her thigh rubbed against his already prominent bulge and the smile was wiped off his face.

"Helen?"

"Mmm?"

"Wasn't there something you wanted to show me?" he prompted, moving off of her.

She whimpered at the loss of contact, but then remembered the little piece of lingerie she'd purchased that day and smiled alluringly up at him. She kissed him quickly before sliding off the bed and heading for the bathroom. It didn't take her long to get into the outfit. She checked herself in the mirror, satisfied by her appearance, she returned out to the bedroom.

The lingerie didn't last very long, but was a huge success. He spent the remainder of the afternoon proving to her just how much he was still attracted to her until she was fully sated, no qualms left in her mind.


	11. Chapter 11

Nikola woke to an empty bed, which wasn't all that unusual. Helen would often slip out early in the morning, starting her days at what he considered obscene hours. She was sleeping more because of the pregnancy, but it was still less than most normal people. He himself didn't require much sleep, but that was due to his vampiric nature. Often times he would be awake late into the night, long after Helen had fallen asleep, which meant that he was usually still snoring when she woke up.

Today he found a small piece of paper on her pillow, a familiar swirling print scrawled across it. Taking the note, he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes before reading it.

Nikola,

I have a short break at 10:30, please meet me in the infirmary.

Love,

Helen

Nikola smiled at the little slip of paper. Over the last few months Helen had taken to leaving him little notes or sending him short texts requesting he meet her in various places at certain times. With Will gone everyone's work load had increased and it meant that they got very little time together during the day. They would meet up whenever they had a break or gap in their schedules. Nikola loved their little get together because they usually involved sex in supply closets, her office, his lab, the infirmary, pretty much anywhere they happened to be when they got a few precious minutes of alone time. The pregnancy hormones had sent Helen's libido in to over drive. Nikola wasn't complaining and he was more than happy to help whenever she needed him. As much as he enjoyed ravishing her and worshipping her body properly, which he did almost every night, he was not opposed to quickies in the broom closest either. No matter how many times they did it, sex with Helen Magnus was still mind blowing. He'd waited so long for this and it was even better than he could have dreamed of. He doubted he'd ever get enough. It was like a drug and he was definitely addicted.

The morning went by fairly quickly. Nikola went about his daily routine, checking in with Henry in the lab, catching up on paper work from the day before, tinkering away at whatever projects Helen had assigned him with. Since Will's leaving he'd tried his best to step it up. He wanted to prove to Helen that he could be responsible and someone she could depend on. Early in her pregnancy she had sat him down and explained to him that she needed him to grow up and start acting like an adult if he was going to help her raise this baby. She didn't want to feel like she was taking care of two children. She needed a partner.

He thought he'd done a pretty good job of things so far. He was carrying his weight in the daily maintenance and operation of the Sanctuary, getting along with the rest of the team, and doing his best to take care of Helen in any way she needed during the pregnancy. He'd grown up quite a bit in recent months and he was rather proud of himself for it.

He ran into Erika and Henry on his way to the infirmary. They were just leaving from an exam. She was steadily getting closer to her due date, only about a month left. The pair of them were more than ready for their wait to be over. Nikola couldn't imagine being pregnant for almost two years. He couldn't really imagine being pregnant at all, but just from a father's point of view, nine months seemed long enough to wait to meet his child. He was often a little bit jealous of the connection Helen already had with the baby. She got to feel it kicking and moving around inside her. Sometimes he'd get to feel it too and it never ceased to amaze him; every night as they lay in bed he'd place his hands on her growing tummy and talk to the little baby inside. Helen said the baby recognized his voice because it would always start to move around and kick when he was talking to it. The thought made his heart swell.

"Knock knock," Nikola said, poking his head through the door.

Helen smiled brightly at him, ushering him inside. He made sure to lock the door behind him before going over and sweeping her into his arms.

"Nikola!" She laughed, not pushing him away.

He buried his face in her neck, breathing in the scent of her.

"How's your day been, love?" He asked, giving her a quick peck.

"Good. I have a surprise for you," she told him, her smile growing brighter.

"Is it that you aren't wearing any underwear?" He asked hopefully.

She laughed, rolling her eyes at him.

"I didn't ask you here for sex, at least not this time," she scolded lightly.

He pouted at her.

"But I'm not opposed to the idea," she amended quickly.

He smiled, waggling his eyebrows at her. He kissed her, long and slow. She sighed into the kiss, her body instantly reacting to him. Just as his hands began to wonder she pushed him away.

"Later," she said firmly. "My surprise first."

"Fine," he grumbled. "What's the big surprise?"

Walking across the room she pulled out a piece of equipment, rolling it over to the exam table he was standing by.

"I thought we'd do an ultrasound to determine the sex of the baby," she explained at his confused expression.

"Really?" He'd been wondering when they could find out.

"Yes. We actually could have done it weeks ago, but we've both been so busy. I had an appointment with Erika and Henry today so it was the perfect time to do it while I was already down here."

"How early could we have known?"

"They usually check around 20 weeks," she admitted.

"But that was a month ago!"

"I know. I'm sorry. But we can do it now. Please don't be upset."

He sighed.

"I'm not upset, I just wish you'd told me we could have done this earlier. You know how anxious I've been to find out what we're having. I didn't want to start on the nursery until we knew."

"I know, love," she said, taking his hand and squeezing it gentle. She loved how excited and involved he wanted to be. "I've cleared my whole weekend so we can work on the nursery. We'll pick colors and go shopping and everything. I'm all your's for two whole days."

He smiled excitedly at her.

"All mine? For two days? No distractions?"

"Yes…unless there's some sort of major catastrophe."

He could live with that. He understood that as the head of the global Sanctuary network there was always the possibility of her getting called away to deal with some sort of crisis. It was just something he would have to live with. It was part of the Helen Magnus package.

"Ok. I can work with that. Can we please get on with it though? I want to see if I'm having a daughter or a son."

Helen smiled at him, obviously anxious to know herself. She climbed up onto the exam table, pushing her maternity pants down and pulling her shirt up over her belly.

"Just grab the gel over there and squirt some on my tummy," she instructed, pointing to the gel on the counter.

He did as he was told, smiling apologetically when she flinched as the cold gel hit her skin. She walked him through turning the machine on and moving the probe around on her belly.

"Is this the 4D ultrasound?"

"Yes. Isn't it bloody brilliant?"

"Absolutely."

He focused the probe over the babies face, wanting to get a glimpse of what his child looked like. Helen took his free hand in her's. They both stared at the screen for a moment, drinking in the sight of their baby.

"It looks like you," Helen finally said, her voice full of absolute adoration.

"Really? I think it looks like you."

She scoffed.

"That is very clearly your nose and your ears."

He grinned like a fool, giddy with the thought of his child looking like him.

"It would do better to take after you though. You're definitely the more attractive of the two of us."

"Well I won't argue with you there."

They laughed, each enjoying their private family moment.

"Are you ready to see which of us the little squirt really takes after?"

Helen bit her lip, but nodded. He saw the briefest flash of uncertainty in her eyes before she hid it quickly.

"Helen, what is it? What are you thinking?"

"I'm just nervous I guess."

"Do you have a preference to the gender? Hoping one way or the other?"

She hesitated before answering.

"I want a healthy baby."

"And…" he prompted, sensing a but in her statement.

"But I don't know that I want another girl," she admitted softly, not meeting his eyes. "Maybe it would be easier for me not to treat this baby as a replacement for Ashley if it was a boy."

Her voice was thick with emotion.

"Of course this baby isn't a replacement for Ashley. No child could ever replace her. She will always have a piece of your heart, but this baby will have a new piece. You'll probably be reminded of Ashley no matter if it's a boy or a girl, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. I'm kind of counting on it actually. I have no idea what I'm doing, I'm relying on the fact that you've done this before."

She laughed weakly at him, wiping away a few stray tears that had escaped.

"She's a part of your life, Helen, just as much as this child will be. That will never change. We'll make sure that our baby knows all about it's big sister. How wonderful and special she was…and still is."

"I'd like that."

He smiled lovingly at her, bringing their twined fingers to his lips to kiss the back of her hand.

"Do you have a preference?" She asked, curious.

"Not really," he said, shrugging. "My ego wants a boy, a mini me. But then I look at you and I want a little girl as beautiful as her momma."

"Well, shall we end the suspense?"

"With pleasure."

He moved the probe, trying to get a good shot. The baby wiggled around, making it difficult.

"Come now, don't be shy," Helen crooned, patting a gel free portion of her tummy. "A little more to the left, Nikola. No, your left. Right there! Stop!"

Nikola stilled the probe.

"Looks like a mini you it is," Helen said.

Nikola stared at the little screen.

"I'm going to have a son?" his voice was full of shock.

"There's no mistaking that. Looks like he takes after his daddy in more than one way," Helen laughed.

"I'm going to have a son," Nikola said again, glowing with pride.

"We're going to have a son," she corrected.

Leaning down, he kissed her soundly. She cupped his face, smiling against his lips. He pulled back, resting his forehead on her's.

"We're having a son," he said quietly, reverently.

She tilted her head up to kiss him again, too happy for words.

"I have to get back to work," she said reluctantly after a few minutes, finally breaking the spell. "I have alot to do to make up for taking the weekend off."

"Thank you."

"For what?"

"For this. For this weekend. For loving me. For agreeing to marry me. Take your pick," he said, shrugging.

"Oh Niko, you don't have to thank me for any of that."

He kissed her again, not able to resist. He wished he could scoop her up, carry her back to their bedroom, and make love to her for the rest of the day. But he knew she needed to get things done today. He'd have to wait until tonight. It would be worth it though; she was giving him a whole weekend, he knew that was no small feat.

He found a cloth in one of the cabinets and wiped the gel off her stomach, then helped her off the table. He rolled the ultrasound machine back to its place while she straightened her clothing. Coming back over to her, he took her in his arms and hugged her close. Her belly was pressed against his and he felt the smallest of nudges as his son kicked.

"Did you feel that?" Helen asked, excitedly.

"Yes, I did. Our son's a strong little tyke, isn't he?"

"Indeed."

He released her, dropping to his knees so he was eye level with her tummy. He caressed the swell of her belly, littering it with light kisses. Her hand ran through his hair and she smiled down at him.

"I love you," she told him softly.

"I love you both," he said, smiling back up at her.


	12. Chapter 12

"What's wrong with blue?" Helen asked, scanning the swatches. 

"It's just so ordinary," Nikola grumbled, sliding up behind her to wrap his arms around her growing waist. "And there is nothing ordinary about our son."

"What about green then?" 

"Nope, still too common. I want to think outside the box."

"Well I don't hear you making any suggestions," Helen grumbled. 

One of his hands disappeared from it's place on her tummy and then a set of swatches was shoved in her face. Helen had to blink a few times to bring them into focus. 

"You're joking, right?"

"Hardly," Nikola sniffed. 

"The grey and black aren't bad, but red as the accent color?"

"What's wrong with red? It's a very deep, masculine shade of red," Nikola defended. 

"You do see the irony in this particular shade being called blood red?" 

"Must be a coincidence."

"I don't believe you for one second."

"You wound me," Nikola mock cried before swooping in to litter kisses down her neck. 

"Nikola!" Helen giggled, squirming out of his grasp. 

"Ok, names aside, what's wrong with red?" Nikola asked, going serious again. 

"You're really set on this, aren't you?"

"I think the colors I chose are sophisticated. I've always hated the frilly pastels people surround their offspring with. Besides, our son isn't like normal babies. I want him treated with some dignity and there is absolutely nothing dignified about powder blue or mint green."

Helen tried to hide her smile. He was really getting into this. Nikola was excited to be having a son and it was showing. She was happy too, of course. But there's always something extra special about a person's first child, a certain thrill that went along with it. This was all new for him, whereas she'd done it once before. It was so different than with Ashley though. Having someone to share it all with made a huge difference. 

"I only want the absolute best for little Nikola Jr," he added with a smirk. 

"Oh fine," Helen huffed. "We'll go with these colors, but we are not naming him Nikola Jr!"

Nikola pouted, sticking his lip out adorably and Helen couldn't help kissing him. They hadn't picked out a name yet, but they still had plenty of time. She'd immediately vetoed Nikola Jr. There was no way she was going to stoke his ego that much. Besides, he was the one going on about not being ordinary, naming the baby after him felt like a distinct lack of creativity in Helen's opinion. 

"I'll convince you eventually," Nikola teased. 

Helen's only response was to roll her eyes. 

"Well we have our colors picked out, now we can go to the baby store and get a crib and a changing table and a stroller and-"

"For such a little thing he sure does require a bunch of stuff," Nikola said, interrupting her. 

"Yes, well, welcome to parenthood."

"Come on, let's go get our paint."

Nikola took her hand, their fingers twining together, and pulled her in the direction of the paint counter. 

"We'll take two cans of just the grey," Helen told the sales clerk cheerfully. 

"Just the one color?" Nikola asked.

"We'll do the walls grey, that'll help keep the room dark at night while he's sleeping. The furnishings we'll do in black. And the red can be the accent color for the bedding, the chair cushions, the changing table pad, things like that."

"Brilliant," Nikola beamed at her. "I knew there was a reason I was marrying you."

"Yes, for my interior decorating skills," Helen said sarcastically. 

The sales clerk was back with their paint, pushing the cans towards them on the counter. Helen paid for them, thanked the girl, and then reached to pick up the cans to go. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Nikola yelped. 

"What?" She scowled at him, unsure what he was freaking out about. 

"You don't need to be carrying those," he chastised, taking the paint cans from her hands. 

"I'm fine, Nikola," she assured. 

"I don't want you carrying them," he told her sternly. 

She stared at him for a few seconds, shocked by his sudden outburst. She was perfectly capable of carrying a few paint cans. Just because she was pregnant didn't mean she needed to be treated like she was made of glass. 

"You can hold the paint brushes and the tape and all that," he tried to placate her. 

She knew he was just trying to look out for her, take care of her, so she let it go. But it still irritated her. 

"You know, walking to our car with a few paint cans isn't going to send me into early labor," she told him. 

"I don't want you over-exerting yourself."

"Its far less strenuous that what we were doing last night," she said coyly. 

"Yes...well...that was..." Nikola stammered. 

"You're right though, sweetheart," she purred, patting him on the arm. "We'll just have to refrain from having sex until after the baby's born, not to mention the first six weeks after the delivery. You can wait that long, right? I don't want to over-exert myself."

Nikola's eyes were round as saucers, a panicked look crossing over his face. Helen tried not to laugh as she walked to the car, staying just ahead of him so that he could see her hips swaying with each step. 

* * *

"Ha!" Nikola whooped in triumph. 

Helen tried to stifle her laughter in a pillow. She was already in bed, but Nikola had insisted on assembling the crib they'd picked out that morning. Personally, she thought it was ridiculous to put it together in their room when they'd just end up moving it to the nursery tomorrow after the paint had dried. 

Nikola and Henry had gotten the whole room painted in record time. Neither Erika or Helen had been allowed within a hundred feet of the room, due to the fumes and their over-protective mates. Nikola had taken pictures with his phone to show her the finished product. Right now it wasn't anything more than four bare grey walls, but they'd start on the decorating tomorrow. 

"It looks wonderful, dear," Helen told him, trying not to yawn. "But can  you come to bed now?"

"Its going to look great in the nursery, don't you think, Helen?"

"Yes, I'm very pleased with the one we chose."

"I'll need to make a few modifications, nothing too extreme..." Nikola trailed off, mumbling more to himself than to her at this point.

"What sort of modifications?" She asked suspiciously. 

"Just a few things here and there," Nikola dodged. 

"Nikola," Helen warned. 

"Oh don't worry, I'm just going to improve it a bit is all."

"Leave the crib exactly the way it is." She told him sternly. "There's nothing wrong with it."

Nikola rolled his eyes, but didn't argue. Stripping his clothes off, he padded across the room and climbed in bed beside her. Helen snuggled against him, humming contentedly. His hands roamed across her body, more comforting than arousing. 

"We'll need to start sleeping in pajamas soon," she told him, her hands tracing across his bare chest. 

"Why? I like sleeping like this. Makes it so much more convenient, I don't have to waste time trying to get your clothes off when you want to have morning sex."

"I'm serious," she said, the giggling making her sound anything but.

"I still don't understand."

"Well, we'll have to get up in the middle of the night for feedings and we don't want to be wandering the halls naked.""The baby's room is just across the way, I'd hardly call that wandering the halls."

"Someone could still see us though," she insisted. 

Helen had no desire to give any of her residents a free show. She knew from experience that putting clothes on was the last thing you were thinking about at 3AM with a screaming baby. 

"And what about when he gets older?"

"What about it?"

"We don't want him coming in to our room in the middle of the night to find us naked in bed. What if he has a nightmare and wants to come snuggle with us? Or he's sick or can't sleep or something. There are a hundred different scenarios to think about, Nikola. You can pretty much kiss your privacy goodbye for the next eighteen years."  

"You make it sound so horrible," he teased. 

"Not horrible, just different than you're used to. Its a big adjustment."

"I know it is, ljubav."

"I just want to make sure you're ready," she told him quietly, pulling back a little so she could see his face. 

"By telling me we need to start wearing clothes to bed?"

He was smiling, her favorite lopsided grin. Even if he wasn't ready, he'd learn. She highly doubted he realized what a huge life change this was going to be. She didn't want him to change his mind after the baby was born, when he found out how difficult raising a child was. She'd raised Ashley alone, but she didn't have any desire to do it again. Being a single mom was hard. 

"What are you thinking?" Nikola asked, noticing the doubts clouding her eyes. 

"I just don't want you to leave once you realize how hard it is having a baby," she confessed. 

"I'm not going anywhere, love," he assured, kissing her forehead. "You're stuck with me for the rest of our very long lives."

She thought about that for awhile, resting her head on his chest so she could hear his steady heartbeat. 

"I want to get married before the baby is born."

"I'll run away to Vegas with you and we'll get married tonight, if that's what you want," he told her. 

"Nothing quite so dramatic," Helen chuckled. "I was thinking something more along the lines of private ceremony. The Big Guy got ordained online when Henry and Erika got married."

"Whatever you want, Helen. I'm still just thrilled you agreed to marry me at all."

"I'm keeping my last name though," she told him sternly. 

"I don't know, Helen Tesla has a certain ring to it."

"Not a chance."

"What about the baby? Who's surname is he going to take?"

"I was thinking Magnus-Tesla, with a hyphen."

"Tesla-Magnus," he corrected. 

Helen sighed, rolling her eyes. He could be so difficult sometimes. 

"You could both be Magnus-Teslas," Nikola offered. 

"Helen Magnus-Tesla," she said, testing it out. 

Nikola rolled her onto her back, kissing across her swollen belly. Helen sighed and carded her fingers through his hair. This was another thing she'd never had when pregnant with Ashley, someone to worship her as she grew with their child. It was nice, sweet. 

"I don't hate it," she conceded. "I'll agree to think about it."

"That's all I ask," he said against her skin. 

"I love you," Helen whispered, shuddering when his lips moved to her breasts. 

"I love you too, ljubav. You and our son are the only things that matter to me anymore

* * *

The shrill ring of her cellphone woke them both from their deep post-coital slumber. Helen's hand fumbled for the annoying device on the bedside table. Squinting at the caller ID, she was surprised to see it was from Will. 

"Who is it?" Nikola grumbled from his side of the bed. 

"It's Will."

"Why the hell is he calling you at..." he looked at the alarm clock. "four o'clock in the morning?"

"I don't know."

"Don't answer it," Nikola begged. "Let it go to voicemail."

"If its important he'll leave a message," Helen said, yawning and snuggling back under the covers. 

Not five minutes later her phone was ringing again. Nikola huffed and reached across her, grabbing her phone before she could reach it. 

"What?" He barked. 

He was silent for a long time, listening to whatever Will was saying on the other end of the line. 

"How long ago? Has there been any contact since then? No one's heard anything at all since the attack?" Nikola was asking rapidly, jumping out of bed and scrambling for his clothes. 

"What the hell's going on?" Helen demanded, sitting up. 

"A group of undercover SCUI agents found the hollow earth base camp. There was an attack. The main tunnel collapsed. No one has heard anything since."

"Survivors?"

"Unknown."

"Kate?"

"Can't reach her."

"Dear God," Helen breathed, getting out of bed and getting dressed along with Nikola. 

They just had all their clothes on when there was a knock at their door. 

"Doc, it's Henry," a voice called from the other side. "I've got Declan on a video feed. He wants to talk to you right away."

Helen rushed to get the door, nearly tripping over a piece of furniture on the way. If not for Nikola's hand on her elbow she would have tumbled to the floor. She smiled weakly at him, knowing he would be concerned by her clumsiness. 

"We'll call you back," Nikola said into the phone, not waiting for an answer before hanging up. 

Out in the hallway, Henry waited with a tablet sporting Declan's worried face. 

"Declan, what's going on?" She asked, taking the tablet from Henry. 

"A team of SCUI agents infiltrated the new Hollow Earth settlement. We got a video transmission  from Kate about an hour ago informing us of the situation. They were gearing up to mount a counter attack, but there was a cave in and we lost contact."

"How the hell did that tunnel collapse? It was secure."

"My guess is SCUI bombed it, and maybe some of the other exits, in order to keep people from escaping."

"Bastards," Helen snarled. 

"I already have a team geared up and ready to go, I was hoping you could send some of your people as well."

"Yes, of course," Helen assured. "We'll come at them from a different direction, see if your theory about them bombing multiple tunnels is accurate."

"Excellent. We'll be in contact."

The video screen went black and Helen handed the tablet back to Henry. The young man was shifting his weight from foot to foot nervously. In all honesty, she was just as concerned as him, if not more so, but she couldn't let that show. It was her job to be the strong leader, always in control. The damn pregnancy hormones weren't making it easy though. 

"We need to organize a team," Helen said, to the room in general.

"I'll go," Nikola said quickly, which surprised Helen. 

"You?" She asked, blankly. 

"Yes, me, Helen. And no one else."

"You can't go alone!" She protested. 

"Who's going to go with me, hmm?" He challenged. "Erika could have the baby anytime, which means Henry is out of the question. And the big hairy one has to stay to help with the delivery."

"I'll go with you, then," Helen tried. 

"Absolutely not!" Nikola told her firmly. 

"But you can't go alone," Helen repeated. 

"You are staying here and that is final."

He said it so harshly that Helen didn't continue to protest. She knew he was right, she was needed here to delivery Erika and Henry's baby, not to mention the fact that she wasn't exactly mission ready herself. But she didn't like the idea of Nikola going alone. What if something happened to him?

"I can deliver the baby on my own. Please at least take Biggie. I don't want you going alone."

"Fine," Nikola sighed, relenting. "Just as long as you, and that baby you've got in your belly, stay here where I know you'll be safe."

"Henry, go find my old friend and tell him to get ready. We'll meet you at the tunnel exit in fifteen minutes."

"Sure, Doc," Henry nodded before running back the way he'd come. 

As soon as Henry's back was turned, Nikola had her in his arms. She sagged into him, letting her fear and anxiety show just for a moment. She didn't always have to be strong with Nikola, she could be just Helen instead of the fearsome Dr. Magnus.

"Niko," Helen whimpered, burying her face in his neck. "Please be careful."

"I will, love. I promise."

"If anything happened to you..." Helen mumbled, tears forming in her eyes just at the thought. 

"Shhhh," Nikola soothed her, tightening his arms around her. "Nothing's going to happen to me. I've got a beautiful woman and a son to come home to after all."

"As soon as you get back, let's get married. I'll make all the arrangements while you're gone," she pleaded, pulling back enough to look into his eyes. 

"I'd like that," he told her, kissing her lightly. 

 "And I'll get Erika to help me finish the nursery. It'll be a surprise when you come back."

 Nikola nodded, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. 

 "Just come back, ok?"

 "Of course, ljubav. Always."


End file.
